He hasn't quite lost hope yet, but after a few days that lack Eren Jaeger and his green eyed goodness, Levi is beginning to feel a little disheartened. With a heavy sigh, he leaves the somber clinic and walks out into the cobble paved street. His GP's obnoxious words ring through his head.
"You need to eat more, Levi; it might be the reason for your bouts of insomnia."
What a great way to spend a day off of work, huh?
Usually, Levi is lucky if he manages to get at least two or three hours of sleep, and that of course has absolutely nothing to do with his diet, which mostly consists of tea and canned food.
He'll have a bowl of rice every now and then. Erwin usually eats out, leaving him in the apartment alone with a boiling pan of the white stuff since he refuses to have food be bought for him, unless it's canned. Or curry. He can never say no to a good curry. Hanji knows this, and Levi and Erwin's crazy neighbor abuses this fact by bringing a steaming bowl of it over almost every night.
His insomnia and eating habits have nothing in common whatsoever, so he has no idea what made his GP think that one might cause the other. It's complete bullshit. The GP had been Erwin's idea, after finding Levi loitering with his gang in the streets of Glasgow in early February.
To think he'd been forced into living with that idiot only three months ago.
Erwin had lived in Glasgow too.
In fact, he had lived one street away from Levi.
The life expectancy differentiates at around twenty years between the two streets. And they hadn't lived even five minutes away from each other.
That means that Erwin was expected to live until he was at least seventy four years old, when he would die a peaceful death in his sleep. On the other hand, Levi was only likely to make it to fifty four, and most likely due to the filthy state of the Gorbals.
They're both in Trost now, though, so that changes things up a bit.
However, they both have very different backgrounds, different heights and different values, so according to political science; they'll end up in their own stereotyped lifestyle, sooner or later.
To begin with, Erwin had only gotten him a GP because his health was bad enough that even Levi knew it was a problem that had to be solved. He couldn't present himself for a job with a rash on his back, fungus on his toes and an ear infection, now, could he? Then the doctor started pressuring him for his daily habits, which were apparently bad habits.
So what if he's a bit lax in his diet? It's what he's used to. He's been living like a hobo for years, so it fucking takes time to get accustomed to "social norms", eating properly, or whatever.
He still sleeps with a blunt kitchen knife beside his head, and Erwin lets him, so long as he doesn't tear apart the couch in his sleep. Yeah. That's right Erwin. Make it all about yourself, as usual. The same way he made Levi's promotion all about him and his own amazing skills. The bastard had even told him afterwards that it was so he could "support the both of them".
Erwin, Mr. "I'm such a bloody hero" wouldn't fucking need to support them both if he'd kept his nose out of Levi's goddamn business.
Levi is so busy stewing over Erwin and his selfishness that he almost misses the familiar head of brown hair that bobs past him down the street.
When he properly notices Eren, a warm sensation engulfs his insides, as though the giddiness is literally bubbling away inside him, and Levi can practically feel his eyes dilating.
For once in his life he actually feels a little overdressed. Levi is wearing a second hand t-shirt, dark blue jeans and white trainers, but even that's better than Eren's getup, which entails joggers with holes in them and an old polo shirt. Eren slouches as he walks, like most people his age usually do, so thankfully, he doesn't see Levi face-plant into a lamppost as he stares after the green eyed beauty that has captured his heart.
Unfortunately for Levi, other people have noticed, but he doesn't really care. He attempts to hide behind the lamppost he's just walked into, in an attempt to watch Eren from afar, with his eyes glinting in excitement.
Is this a dream? Or is it some kind of joke?
Nah, April fool's was yesterday.
Only the biggest idiot would play a prank after midnight.
Since Eren's moving away from him, Levi has no choice but to tail him, and hide in alley entrances and behind an odd old woman or two. He can't possibly talk to Eren. He's too nervous. He can't just talk to him, not after he made an idiot of himself last time. Hanji had reprimanded him, telling him that he'd definitely made Eren uncomfortable by being too close to him and using such a creepy chat up line.
Wait, chat up line?
No, he was just being honest. Eren's hair looked really fluffy, he wanted to touch it, and so he told him just that. According to Hanji, you just don't tell people things like that.
Through a throng of bustling people with shopping bags, briefcases and umbrellas (it is Scotland; no matter what stereotype there is, when there's grey clouds in the sky, you just don't take chances, not with this country) Levi soldiers one with his eyes trained on Eren's back, where he can just make out the slightest hint of a sweat stain alongside the small of his back.
From the corner of his eye, Levi sees an Italian looking man with freckles standing beside him, and he eyes Levi warily as he covers the microphone on his smart-phone with a cupped hand.
"I think there's a stalker following Eren." The man's brown eyes widen as he notices Levi looking at him. "He's got black hair and he's pretty short, think you can help me out? Send back-up in case he tries something? Thanks Jean."
There's someone following Eren?
A stalker?
Levi will kill them before they can take their mid-afternoon shit.
He walks directly over to Eren, grabbing his arm as he glares back at the freckled man who becomes incredibly flustered and worried, hurriedly speaking into his phone as he stares after him.
"Eren. We should go and get something to drink."
He pulls Eren by the shoulder towards the nearest coffee shop, looking over his shoulder for the stalker. Fuck that fucker. There's no way he's letting some skanky, shitfaced pervert chase after an innocent guy like Eren. The younger man yelps under his grip as they make their way through the door.
"What the FUCK?! Let GO of me! Oh my-"
Eren turns to face Levi. Somehow, Eren has this amazing ability to furrow his eyebrows and still have his turquoise eyes wide open at the same time.
"You-you're that dude from the other night at the bar, how did you even-"
There's a noise emitting from Eren's pocket, probably his phone, maybe a tracking device implanted by that weird freckled guy, but Levi doesn't let him go until they're both safe inside the shop. Eren digs inside his pocket, confusedly glimpsing at Levi while shifting from foot to foot, lingering beside the counter that Levi's now leaning on, and answers the call with an accent as strong as Levi remembers it from Sunday night.
"Hey, Marco? Yeah, I'm fine; I'm with this dude I know from… a couple of nights ago… Uh huh. No, I don't think he's, um, well he could be…"
Eren looks worriedly over to Levi with a hint of fear in his eyes. He must be worried about the stalker.
"But I think he should be alright. Yeah, I'll let you know. Tell Mikasa she doesn't need to have you guys keeping tabs on me. Sheesh, it was fucking one time you guys!"
Eren hangs up aggressively, which is pretty difficult to do with a touch-screen phone. It's quite impressive, really. He throws up his hands as he questions Levi.
"What the fuck?" He repeats as angrily as before. "Why'd you drag me into a shop? And by the way, I still have no idea who the hell you are-"
"There was a stalker chasing your heels, so I thought I might do you a favour and get you someplace safe. Or is that a bad thing to do? If so, I'm sorry for not providing you with a hot stalker date."
Eren doesn't reply, and looks outside guiltily. A woman behind the black, speckled counter asks them if they'd like to buy something, but Levi only indicates that he needs a minute and he guides Eren to a table with a hand to his shoulder, making Eren tense up under his touch.
They sit down at a clothed table in the quiet shop, and the same woman as before walks over to them, asking if they'd like a menu and this time Levi shoos her away with a hand gesture. She turns away with a huff (what a bad retail-service attitude) and Levi focuses on Eren with a blush tinting his cheeks.
"So why were you dancing to that one song on Sunday night? Everyone at your table was, and I think that that's more than just a coincidence."
It's been bugging him, so it feels good to ask.
Levi sits as far away from the table on his chair as he possibly can, knowing that if he sits too close again, he'll make Eren uncomfortable. Oh, and Hanji also mentioned the staring, which was also a little intimidating, apparently, so Levi stares down at the table.
The table is not that interesting, with all it's plain whiteness of the tablecloth, whereas Eren's entire being is colourful enough to keep him entertained for hours. Not that he'd know that it could keep him entertained for that long, seeing as he's only seen his face for less than fifteen minutes in total, including the time at the bar. But then again, he does think about his face a lot…
Eren cocks his head to one side, as though he doesn't understand the question, but he answers it anyway.
"Um, that was our high school jam… We, like, listened to it on the last day and it cheered us up after crying all day. Not that I was. Crying, I mean. The girls were though. And Jean was, too. He's a total cry-baby. So… Yeah. What's your-"
"So you're at college now? University?"
Eren pauses before answering. "No… I'm actually a janitor; I'm on my way home from work, actually. I think I missed my bus, though, so I'm hoping Marco'll give me a lift back."
Levi looks up at him in surprise at the new fact, then sighs in disappointment.
"Well, I'd offer you a lift back to your house, but I don't have a car. Or a driver's license. Those things are so bloody expensive, you know that? I'm skint, and a pretty penny is hard to come by, especially since I'm only working as a cashier at the Pound Saver shop, down the road from here. You know the one; it's opposite the pub we met at. I mean, I probably would have been less broke if I'd gotten the promotion I wanted, but you know. Life sucks, and so on. Are you from Trost? You sound like you're from Trost. Everyone has the accent around these parts, and then you just hear me and all my Glaswegian glory."
Levi rolls his eyes as he mocks his own background that he hates with a passion, and hopes it shows. Because this is something that Eren needs to know, he can feel it.
Eren clamps his lips together, biting his lip from the inside and glances down at his lap, because he was texting while Levi was speaking. Multi-tasking. This guy is seriously such a good catch. And if he's a janitor, he must be good at cleaning, right? Levi likes it when they can clean.
For Levi, seeing Eren had been love at first sight, but today, he can totally understand the concept of falling more in love with a person each day. They just never fail to surprise you.
"I'm… I'm from Trost? No, I'm actually from Buckie… And compared to here, I actually have a really different accent. You're from Glasgow? That… might explain why you don't know, there must be less dialects around there... Wait, what were we talking about before?"
He's from Buckie? Even more surprises are being thrown at Levi. He's not one for spontaneity, but he loves all these unexpected facts.
Eren shifts in his seat, clearly becoming more confused by the second and the grimace in his expression becomes more prominent.
Levi shrugs his shoulders at Eren's question. "I don't actually remember, but at some point you wanted to know my name, and it's Levi."
"Levi…?"
"Yup."
"...What's your last name?"
"I don't know." He tells Eren indifferently.
He's been using "Levi Smith" on official documents, but he doesn't actually know what his last name is, and it's something he's never really cared to learn. What he would like to learn, however, is who the hell gave him the short gene. And he would also like to learn how he can force them into giving him a taller one.
Eren blinks at him owlishly and remains silent. Behind Eren's head, Levi can see the brown haired woman sending them dark scowls at the counter, so he motions her over and orders two waters. Jeez, the things he has to do to get people to leave him alone!
At least the water's free.
Free is good.
Sales are good, but free is just that much better.
That's always been his motto. When he had gone "shopping" through the markets when he was younger, he paid close attention to that motto. Everything is "free" if he thinks carefully about it.
Before the woman with their drinks can come over to their table, however, Eren checks his phone to find a message. From his sister, he tells Levi with an odd look on his face. Eren shakes his head with a heavy sigh while frowning down at the screen and Levi escorts him to the door, as that seems to be where he's heading.
The same freckled man as before meets Eren at the door; and as they walk away without saying goodbye. Levi follows them a little, and then realizes he probably shouldn't be attempting to go with them. Levi can hear Eren talking (it's kind of difficult not to).
"I swear he was trying to tell me his whole life-story, and I didn't even know his name. Hell, he doesn't even know his own name!"
Levi really wishes that their first date had gone a bit better, but then again, it hadn't really been a date, had it? Levi had never officially asked him out, and he'd told Eren that he'd been helping him escape the wandering eyes of a stalker.
And they hadn't even gotten to drink anything together.
Eren doesn't like him. He left with his parting words not even being directed towards Levi. And from the sound of it, Levi hadn't left much of a good impression.
Levi walks back to Erwin's place after the incident and lays on the couch for a couple of minutes, before picking the calendar up from the coffee table in boredom, still feeling the need to record his encounter with Eren.
He had managed to look over the freckled guy's shoulder, Marco, was it? And sure enough, he saw Eren's contact information on his phone, plus a picture, but that had been too small to see it properly, though there was no mistaking those green eyes of Eren's.
He knows he's not that young, his life's an utter mess, but even he has some persistence in the things-the people- that are worth the effort.
In ballpoint pen, Levi writes inside the dated box of the lame calendar.
"The day I got Eren's number and almost had a date with him; he cheered me up after a crappy clinic appointment."