Chapter 1 We Meet Again
"Hello, thank you for calling this is Eren Jaeger speaking how may I help you?"
It had been a few months since Eren has been working at this call center; it wasn't really something that he enjoyed but it did help him to pay the bills. He honestly didn't speak to customers over the phone very much since he was mostly on email duty and even chats however lately they've been putting him on more calls which he absolutely hated at least when he was on emails and chats he didn't have to speak to anybody directly.
Thankfully, the lady on the phone seems to be very nice and sweet and it was a very quick call as she just wanted to pay her bill. After helping her out with that are inside he really just wanted to leave and go home and just relax
Ring Ring. Oh great the phone rang again. Eren sighed again and then unmuted the headset and then once again try to plaster a fake smile on his face; even though he knew the customer couldn't see him, it helps with his tone. He repeated the greeting.
"Hello and thank you for calling my name is Eren how may I help you?"
The person on the phone said, "Hi I just need to order some hair supplies do you know if there are any good deals available? Be honest with me kid."
Eren was a little surprised by the voice it was just so deep and it sounded almost like velvet. He immediately loves this man's voice, in a way it sounded almost aggressive yet gentle at the same time. Strange.
"Of course sir we have many deals on certain products can you please give me your email address so I can look up your account. As Eren kept the man talking, he was clicking away like mad trying to get the man's account and of course get the best deals for him as long as the man was willing to be nice Aaron was going to be nice back. Within reason of course.
Eren had gotten the man's information and he helped him to find some good deals on hair care products and Combs and brushes and anything else that the man needed Eren found out that the man's name was Levi Ackerman. Eren really likes his name and for some reason, Eren could honestly think that it sounded familiar but he could not put his finger on it.
"Okay, sir have I completed the reason for your call today?" Eren waited patiently for Levi to say yes or no. Eren really hoped that he was able to help him, and for some reason, the boy just really wanted to please this man.
Levi's grunted," Yeah I think that'll just about do it. Thanks again kid I really appreciated it and I'm sorry I didn't have my credit card information on hand just yet I just got this business from my mother and I want to make sure I'm doing everything right."
Eren nodded out of habit and he said, "That sounds wonderful I really do hope that everything goes well in your business I'm sure you're going to do just great."
Levi chuckled. " Well I'm going to try in this area it's pretty hard LA can be pretty harsh but thanks again for your help Brat, you have a good rest of your night."
Eren said softly," You have a good night to Levi."
" Thanks again Eren." And then leave I hung up.
For some reason, Eren was in a daze. Usually, he wasn't slow after these calls, he tried to get them done as quickly as possible but as he looked at the time he noticed he speaking to Levi for almost 30 minutes holy cow!
Eren groaned. He knew he was going to get chewed out by this from his supervisor Nanaba. The calls were supposed to be way shorter than this even though it was a good call and it's not like him and Levi ever argued or anything like that but Eren had to be very careful; this is why he hated calls so much.|
After saying goodbye to everybody Eren had decided to drive home straight home since he did have some leftovers that he could eat the whole way he couldn't help but think about the call which was a bit strange usually Eren try to forget about the calls as much as possible the only times he really dwelled on them when they were really bad calls but this one was actually very nice once in a while it would feel like to leave I was talking to a friend over the phone and this was usually when the customer was just so nice
But what but what was even grabbing errands attention, even more, was Levi's address Eren noticed that Levi was not very far from him Aaron lived in the valley which wasn't very far from Los Angeles at all an errand swore that he recognized the street names as Eren thought about it, even more, he realized he was just a 30-minute drive away
Eren shook his head he realized that it did sound kind of creepy but he couldn't help but actually want to go to Levi's business as they talked Levi mentioned that he owned a hair salon and that he had been doing hair for a good few years but this was the first time he was actually going to be owning his own salon. Eren felt Intrigued especially since it had been a very long time since he had his haircut lately he had been keeping it long but he also wanted it to look neater than it usually did
" Yeah I'll just tell him that I want a haircut you won't be creepy at all" Eren said out loud to himself you still couldn't help but feel a little creeped out but all he was going to do was get a haircut plus he really wanted to see Levi again Eren still couldn't put his finger on it but his gut was really telling him to just go to the hair salon many of the calls they got were in the state of California and sometimes couldn't help but notice that the person he was speaking to live close by.
Of course he never really thought about actually going to that person's house or their place of business that would be just too much and he wasn't allowed to write down a customer's information and he surely didn't do that with Levi but what was intriguing Eren the most was that he instantly remember the address especially since Eren had such a horrible memory nowadays especially ever since the incident...
Eren almost whimpered he really did not want to remember that awful time in his life. It wasn't even that long ago and that's why it's sometimes hard for him to get over it. He still wondered if he'll ever really get over it at all.
Thankfully Eren was able to get a parking spot in the small parking lot at his apartment once he turned off the engine he patted into his home his little studio apartment took off his shoes and plopped onto his bed he contemplated going to bed right away and just skip dinner but he decided to just take off his clothes and get into his pajamas and check his emails and social media before he decided to call it a night. He still kept thinking about Levi and about going to his Salon the next day thankfully Eren has the day off he just hadn't been in the mood to take any overtime lately.
The boy couldn't help but think of what he was going to say when he met this Levi's guy he couldn't help but wonder what did this man look like and it honestly kept disturbing Eren more and more with how obsessive he was becoming of going he knew it was because he was uncovering a hidden memory ever since the incident where it literally got beaten out of him. He just knew this would be something else very important and that's why he decided to go if the man really did not want to see Eren then Eren would leave and he would just never go there again. Simple as that.
Turning over on his side Eren couldn't help but really hope and pray that seeing this guy would help him to uncover some more memories and just and just help somehow.
The next day saw Eren driving down the 101 Freeway to LA, he was doing it. He was going to see that hair salon. His stomach raged with butterflies, but he also felt in his gut that he just had to do this. Once he got to the strip mall, he couldn't help but feel a sense of nostalgia. He had been here before… He just knew it.
He parked his Honda and took a look around. It was bigger than an average strip mall, but he still marveled how shiny and new everything looked. His eyes widened once he saw the hair salon.
'Ackerman's Hair Care'. It suddenly clicked in Eren's head. His mother used to work there! He hadn't been here in ages!
With a newfound sense of excitement, the boy dashed to the salon and as he pulled at the door his heart dropped at realizing it was closed. Eren bit his lip, tears stinging his eyes, and then he jumped once a he felt a hand touch his shoulder.
"Oh!, I'm sorry sweetie, the salon is closed for today." A petite young woman apologized as she steadied Eren who had yelped and clutching his chest like he had a heart attack.
Eren suddenly blew a sigh of relief. He apologized as well for being so jumpy, noticing how short this young lady was. He also noticed her belly protruding. "Wow, you're pregnant."
The short lady laughed as Eren blushed realizing what he just said. "Yes I am! I'm still expecting in a few months, by the way, my name is Petra!" she extended her hand, and Eren shook it gently.
Just as Eren was about to ask why and when would the salon open, Petra said," Right now the owner is hosting a fight in his MMA gym next door."
The boy blinked. MMA? He then stretched his head and finally noticed the MMA gym just a few feet from the salon. When the hell did that get there!
Eren gasped. Now he remembered, he used to frequent here when he was little, sometimes his mom and dad would take him to learn martial arts. He believed it was a karate school at the time since MMA wasn't really popular yet.
Petra nodded. "Oh yes, well, I should really say he's in the fight. Do you want to come in and check it out? It's free! It really was just supposed to be a light sparring, but Levi always tends to get men so riled up they want to challenge him!" The woman shook her head with a tired smile.
Eren felt like his eyes were about to pop out of his skull. What the hell? So the owner of this salon was also the owner of this MMA gym?! The boy felt like he was in a daze as Petra led him inside where he could people screaming and yelling in throes of excitement seeing men pummel the living daylights out of each other. Eren barely glanced around, it seemed like the fight was just barely about to start.
He didn't catch the name of the challenger, but he heard the announcer over the loudspeakers say, "And fighting out of Los Angels California, weighing in at 150 pounds, he stands at 5 foot 3 inches, Humanity's Strongest, Levi AAAAAAAAckerman!"
Eren peered over people as best he could, but he could still see the two men in t Octagon circle each other as the bell rang, he saw one of the men who seemed quite tall compared to the dark-haired man in the blue corner. The taller also had a green mohawk and had the smuggest look on his face that made Eren already want him to lose.
He could hear most people cheering for this Levi, and Eren was enraptured by this mans prowess, he reminded Eren of a jungle cat, fast like a cheetah, but strong like a panther. Levi lunged at the Mohawk guy after giving him a perfect punch combination and catching the challenger in his thick chin with a swift but powerful uppercut. Eren's jaw dropped off his face as the crowd erupted in applause.
Surprisingly the challenger didn't pass out, but he did wobble and Eren could've sworn the man's eyes rolled in the back of his head. Levi circled the man and to anyone else, it would've seemed like the shorter man was getting cocky, but to Eren, he saw absolute confidence, and dominance exudes off the man.
Once the challenger grabbed his bearings, which Levi seemed so kind to do, He tried to do a takedown by going for Levi's legs. A big mistake.
Eren almost climaxed when he Levi jump in the air and kneed that Buffon right in his face, and then the crowd really roared. This time the Mohawk fell to the ground and he stayed down.
As the announcer declared Levi to be the winner via Knock out, Eren took a much better look at Levi, He could see the man's pale skin glistening in the strobe lights, the shiny jet black hair, that undercut, and those cold cloudy eyes…
No way…
"It can't be…" Eren whispered, his voice lost to the roars and echo of the crowd.
Petra clapped and cheered herself. "Whoo! Levi has done it again! And this fight was barely 30 seconds, he needs to learn to go a bit easier on these guys! So Eren, how did you like the fight?" She turned to the boy and couldn't help but laugh at his gaping expression.
She was about to make a light joke at him until Eren asked," Can I meet him?"
Petra raised an eyebrow. She was a bit surprised by Eren's enthusiasm, but maybe the young man just wanted Levi to train him? The boy seemed a bit starstruck, but she felt like it was more than that…
Humming, Petra said, "I suppose you can meet him now if you want, I see he's getting out of the cage, was there something you wanted to ask him?
Eren nodded his head with tight lips. So Petra led him over to the sidelines as they saw Levi heading there way.
Just as Eren was thinking maybe he should wait until Levi changed out his fighter trunks and took a shower or something, he already heard Petra calling the man over. Eren's heart jumped in his throat as he saw the man approach them, and it all seemed like slow motion…
Eren stayed stone still in his spot next to Petra waving and smiling at Levi saying something along the lines of, "This kid wants to talk to you!"
All of a sudden Eren heard a deep smooth voice say, "Well brat, how can help you?"
And then, Eren couldn't see. Everything was blurry. All head could see were mishappen blobs, and hear concerned voices asking him if he was alright.
"Oh my goodness sweetie, are you alright?" Petra gasped, holding onto the boy's shoulders. All of sudden the young man started crying. But why?
Levi just awkwardly stood there a little surprised that this kid was crying at the sight of him. What did he do exactly? "Hey kid, I know I have resting bitch face, but I'm not trying to scare you or anything. I did just get out of a fight after all…"
Petra rolled her eyes. She Levi meant well, but he could really suck at comforting people sometimes. Just as she was about to scold him, Eren spoke.
"I-It's you… L-Levi, oh my God…" Eren wobbled a little closer to Levi bringing his face closer, while the man stiffened, not quite sure what this brat was just to do.
"Hey, watch it, kid. I'm not too tired to knock your teeth out, don't try anything funny."
Petra sighed then was about to say something but then she smiled when she saw Levi hand Eren one of the smaller towels to blow his nose and wipe his face. "I guess I'll leave you two alone, have fun catching up." She noticed Levi giving her a pleading look but she just wagged her finger at him and left them too it. She honestly had no idea what was going on, but she knew she would all of the details later.
Levi sighed, ok brat, let's step into my office. You can sit at my desk while I grab a quick shower. When Levi rebuilt this place, he had them build a small personal bathroom with a small shower and Levi absolutely loved his own private shower at the gym. Plus this way, the brat wouldn't embarrass himself in front of people snotting everywhere.
Eren blew his nose and followed Levi then patiently waited for him to be done with his shower which was really quick. The boy squirmed in his seat, beginning to feel embarrassed at crying out of nowhere like that. The chair was kind of comfy, it was wooden but had a leather cushion attached to it.
Eren almost jumped when Levi sat in his office chair. The man had put on a black tank top and black workout shorts. Levi eyed the brat wearily, trying to figure out how to start the conversation. It had only been about a month since he had this gym, and he was already getting a lot of customers. A lot of young guys wanted Levi to train them so Levi figured that was what the brat wanted and if that was the case Levi charged a hefty fee which he doubted the brat could pay. Levi really hoped the kid wasn't some weirdo though, he was way too pretty for that, even with the scruffy 5 o clock shadow the boy sported.
"So, did you enjoy the fight?" Levi clasped his hands together, watching the boy closely.
Breaking out of his daze Eren nodded. "Oh yes, it was incredible! I mean, holy shit you destroyed that guy!" Eren cleared his throat after talking. He could feel that his face was heating up and he nervously weaved his fingers through his long hair.
"Thanks, I try to put assholes in there place and try to put on a good show too. Did you want to join?" Levi narrowed his eyes the longer he looked at this kid. He couldn't help but get a feeling about him…
Eren chuckled, "Well, now that you mentioned it, I wouldn't mind, but that's not why I came here, you see, you and I spoke on the phone last night."
Now Levi's eyes shot open. "We were?"
Eren nodded. "Yeah, when you were ordering stuff for the Salon."
Levi blinked. Holy shit, no way this was the- "You're the call center brat!"
Blushing hard Eren laughed. "Yeah, that's me!"
"Well… Shit kid am I in trouble or something? Did they sent you here to collect or what?" Levi was half-joking but he always saw call center people as being in another country or something, he honestly never met someone he spoke over the phone like that in real life before.
Eren shook his head. "No, you see, the place where I work is actually in the Valley, so it's only about 30 minutes from here. I came because I recognized this address from when I was little and then I recognized your name… Do you remember me at all?"
Holy cow what a day. Levi looked this young man up and down slowly trying to place him. That feeling inside of him only grew. "Who… Are you?"
Eren smiled gently. Not surprised Levi forgot about him. "I'm Eren. Eren Jaeger. You used to babysit me sometimes. Your mother owned the Salon next door. My mother used to work there with her…"
Now Levi was floored. Damn, he knew when he moved back here to this part of LA it may bring up some stuff from the past but… Now that he looked at Eren even more, he could recognize him now with shorter hair, a clean-shaven face, and chubbier cheeks…"
"Eren… Jaeger… Your mother was Carla… Am I right?" It was all coming back to him now. Levi was a teenager, and Eren was a little boy when Levi would sometimes watch over him when their moms were working in the Salon.
Levi got up from his desk and approached Eren. He stood right in front of the boy and he bent over to look deep into his eyes. He could see the tired sadness swimming deep in them, but he would also see that faint spark of hope in there as well.
"What happened to you kid?" Levi breathed. He lifted his hand and before he knew it, Levi was gently caressing the boy's face. The stubble on his cheeks gently scratching his palm.
With that sad smile still on his face, Eren simply said, "A lot happened."
Levi watched as Eren munched on some tempura rolls. After realizing how he knew Eren from back in the day, Levi wanted to treat the boy and properly catch up. He figured the best way to do that would be to go out to eat. He saw that Eren seemed shy and nervous, so Levi assured him that he would pay, and when he suggested sushi, the boy's eyes lit up. Levi knew he made the right choice.
There were many different sushi rolls on the table and Eren went to town. He was pouring soy sauce, teriyaki sauce, whatever he could. The boy started eating some beef too and Levi noticed he hadn't completely finished with the roll in his mouth yet.
"Slow down brat, the food isn't gonna run away." Levi ate his own tempura roll and was glad to see Eren chew his food a lot more.
"Ah! Sorry, I just realized how starved I was!" Eren flushed again and starting eating a lot slower. He didn't want to seem like a gluttonous pig in front of his idol.
Levi chuckled. "It's alight kid, I was young once too I get it. How old are you now by the way?"
"Im 19!" Eren said just barely swallowing some sashimi. "What about you?"
Levi smirked. "Guess."
Humming to himself, Eren said, "Well… I remember you were a teenager when I was little so… You've gotta be in your 30's by now right? You look much younger though! LIke, you look at least 25 or younger!"
Levi relaxed further in his seat. "Thanks, brat. I'm about 36 right now, I'll be turning 37 later this year." He chuckled when he saw Eren make a little "whoa" sound. Levi lifted his eyebrow and teased, "Is that too old for you?"
Again Eren's cheeks blazed red and Levi was getting worried the boy would pass out soon. Levi then put his hand on Eren's and gently assured the boy he was only teasing.
Eren at first looked at their hands then he looked back up at Levi, his heart pounding hard in his chest. Levi's eyes were always so intense. He didn't expect it when the man asked if he had a girlfriend.
"Uh, I- what?" Real intelligent Jaeger!
Raising an eyebrow Levi repeated, "Do you have a girlfriend? A hot young man like you has to have one, or least a side chick or something."
Shaking his head vehemently Eren sputtered, "Nuh-uh, no way! I'm single!" he laughed nervously.
Levi shook his head too. "Damn. Now that amazes me. You're young and beautiful, you should have girls and even guys ripping their clothes off at the sight of you brat."
Gaping like a fish Eren just stared at Levi. He never thought of himself as that attractive before. Even his ex-girlfriend never praised Eren so much, and yet here was a man telling him he was beautiful!?
Levi then patted Erens hand. "Hey kid, don't mind me. I'm not trying to come off as weird or anything, I just wanted to be honest. You're a gorgeous young man, and it seems like you need to be reminded of that."
"Are you gay?"
Levi took his hand away from Eren. When he did that the boy said frantically, "I don't mean it in a bad way! It's just, I think I remember you going out on dates with guys when we were younger…"
Letting out a breath of relief, Levi decided to clarify that he was Bi. I've dated both. I mostly lean towards men though."
Eren nodded. "Ok, why's that?"
"Cuz women are fucking crazy," Levi smirked at seeing Eren bark out in laughter.
They both decided to call it a night, and as they both stood out of Titan Sushi, Levi turned to Eren. "So, you doing anything tomorrow?"
Eren shook his head. "No, tomorrow is another day off for me. Why?"
"I wanna cut your hair."
Eren blinked at Levi. Before he could say anything, Levi elaborated. "What I mean is, I'm not going to chop it all off because you actually look really fucking good with long hair. It frames your face beautifully, and it's full and thick so it looks like you have this gorgeous mane." Levi stepped closer to Eren and gently ran his fingers through the boys hair.
Blushing for the umpteenth time that night, Eren muttered, "Thank you…"
Levi also gently caressed Eren's face where the slight beard was. The man murmured, "I just want to treat it, make it neater. I could also do something about the little beard you got going on here too. Clean you up a little bit."
Eren gulped then whispered, "Ok…"
Levi's smoky eyes then connected with Eren's and in the same low tone, Levi whispered, "I love making men handsome. And I love bringing the handsome out of every man. Don't even worry about the price, this one's on the house. Come by the salon tomorrow at 12 pm, we could even go to lunch afterward, or whatever you wanna do. I'll take care of you. Sound good?"
Eren nodded. And before he realized what he was doing, Eren wrapped his arms around Levi squeezing tight. He nuzzled Levi's head and whispered, "Thank you."
Levi was a little surprised at first, then he slowly wrapped his arms around the boy. "You're welcome brat. Do you have food at home?"
Eren nodded against Levi's head. He had some ramen soups. That counted as food right? He couldn't really afford much else.
"Hmmm." Levi let it drop for right now. Tomorrow they could maybe go for a food run. Levi had the feeling Eren didn't really take care of himself. Well, that was gonna change.
They finally let each other go and got in Levi's black Jaguar. Eren almost drooled when he first saw the man's car.
Levi drove them back to the Salon where Eren's car was parked. Before the boy got in Levi said text me when you get home, so I know you're home safe."
Eren's face widened into a smile. "I will. Goodnight Levi"
"Goodnight Eren." Levi stood there watching the boy drive out onto the street. He kept watching until the Honda was no longer in sight.
When Eren parked, he got inside his dingy little apartment and plopped himself on his bed. The day had been a lot better than he thought it would be. He suddenly remembered to text Levi.
Eren: Hey! I'm home safe! Thanks again for the sushi! C u tomrrow! +sushi emjoi+ :)
He didn't have to wait long for a text back.
Levi: You're welcome brat. Glad you're alright. I'll see you tomorrow, goodnight. *thumbs up*
Eren's face was hurting from smiling so much. For once there was something to look forward to. Someone to look forward too.
Levi.