A/N: Haha! So someone did get the reference! X'D Anyway, yay! Another chapter~ Again, that dumb moment happened where I thought, "Eren needs a book with the little dot thingy majigers called braille so he can read." What is wrong with me?! I think I'm just tired. Senior semester is killing me, but four months left and then I'm all done~ Woohoo!

And again! I know it's slow! Things are going to pick up soon! ... Hopefully... There will be smut, I can promise you that. I just don't know when. I KNOW IT'S THERE THOUGH! THIS FANFIC WOULDN'T BE RATED M IF IT WASN'T HERE!

-Misty

Song of the day: Don't Touch Me

By: Ailee

The Change You Wish to See

(Original summary, but screw the stupid character limits) Levi's never put much care into things. He doesn't put much care into things at all. Nothing ever peaks his interest. Well, that's until he meets Eren Jaeger. Levi isn't sure what it is that's so interesting about him, and it irritates him to feel these feelings he's never felt before. Regardless, he goes to talk to the boy. When he doesn't receive an answer, he just thinks that the boy is rude; however, he understands why when Eren doesn't answer him. Eren is deaf.

Rated M for sexual content, adult language, some violence, mile character death
Main pairing: Riren with some side pairs
Anime: Shingeki No Kyojin (Attack on Titan)

Chapter Five: Once

After that, Eren came to the bookstore on a regular basis; however, he wasn't alone. Because Mikasa learned of his playing hooky, she wouldn't let him leave without someone. Levi didn't know the full story, but apparently it took a lot of convincing to get her to let him back out to the store. She eventually said he could go, but only if Armin was with him.

Of course the blond agreed, because a kid like him wouldn't disagree to the opportunity to spend time in a bookstore; however, Armin also had a job, so Eren could only go once or twice a week.

Still, this was something. Eren wanted to spend more time with him, and he would whine and complain that it wasn't enough, but Levi told him to focus on school instead of the store, and, when he was allowed to come, he could spend time with him. Levi didn't want to piss off Mikasa to the point where she'd keep Eren from coming at all, so he had to play nice, even though he didn't want to.

And he really didn't want to.

Those few days a week became weeks, making another month pass; Levi felt like he had gotten whiplash from how fast it went by. Eren had come by a total of seven times that month, and Levi knew that not because he was counting, but because Eren was and told him so.

Levi was internally amused by the kid and his enthusiasm, and he also felt bad for the poor kid. He couldn't imagine what it was like to be forced in his house all of the time. He couldn't imagine why Eren liked him so much, but if it got him out of the house, then at least he was doing something for him.

"Look!" Levi lifted his head from his book and looked over to where Eren and Armin were. Eren lifted up a book to Armin who leaned over slightly from the ladder to see it. The poor kid was too short to reach the top of the bookcase, and he refused Eren and Hanji's offer of help multiple times already.

"What kind of bug is that?" Armin asked.

"Would you two keep it down over there?" Levi asked. The two boys grinned, and Eren left the table with the book in hand to show Levi.

"Levy," He called out to him and placed the book in front of him.

"Hm...?" Eren pointed to the picture in the book frantically, making noises to get his attention. Levi looked inside the book to see the supposed bug they were talking about, and Eren fished around for the notepad and pens.

"What is that thing?" He asked once he found what he needed to write with.

"It's a panda ant." Levi answered.

"Panda ant?" Eren asked out loud.

"Despite its name, it's a wasp with the colors of a panda on its... Fur? Whatever the fuck that shit on it is. It's just a wasp."

"Armin!" Eren yelled, and Levi groaned. Eren really had no idea how loud he could get.

"What...?" Armin asked and signed.

"A panda ant!" Eren cheered and ran back over to him with the book.

"A panda ant?" Armin questioned and looked at Levi.

"It's a wasp with black and white fur." Levi said and stepped away from the counter.

"It's so adorable..." Armin mumbled and laughed. "I wonder if they eat bamboo like pandas. What do you think they eat?"

"Little kids who keep pulling on the bookshelf. Get down before you pull the whole shelf to the ground with you under it." Levi commanded. Armin looked back to realize that he had indeed been holding onto the shelf, and every time he moved forward, he yanked on the fragile wood. He yipped with fear and jumped down from the ladder, making Eren laugh at him.

"Do you think there are any more books on this bug?" Eren asked with the notepad.

"I'm sure there are if we looked. If we figured out what its technical name is, we could look it up by name." Armin answered out loud while signing. Levi made a mental note to later question Eren or Armin about that.

Eren tugged at Levi's shirt sleeve to catch his attention, and when he had it, Eren continued to write on the notepad.

"Can you help me find one?" Eren asked.

"Seriously? That's a pain in the ass, Eren." Levi wrote down.

"Please?" Eren asked, and he accompanied the please with big, watery eyes and a trembling bottom lip to complete the look. Levi rolled his eyes before motioning for Eren to follow him, which he did with a sound of victory. Levi walked to the back part of the store, eyes scanning the books until they hit the children's section. If one wanted to find information on bugs, for some ungodly reason, the books were in the children's section. It didn't make sense, and even though it was his book store, someone higher up owned it, so that's how it stayed.

"Okay, so stupid ant book, stupid ant book..." Levi mumbled as he began scanning through the books. Eren took a seat on one of the steps to the step ladder no more than a foot away from the older man grumbling under his breath. He was uttering something about how the kid wanted help finding a book, yet he was the one doing all of the work while Eren sat on his lazy ass and wrote in his notebook. "Books on pandas, books on ants... Maybe I should look at wasps instead..." He mumbled to himself.

There was a light tap on his shoulder, and Levi tore his gaze from the extensive amount of books to look at the cause. Eren had poked at him with the end of his notebook, and Levi was prepared to swat it away with an irritated click of his tongue until he noticed the fresh writing on the blank page. He looked at Eren cautiously, and the boy nudged at him again, prompting Levi to take the notebook and read the words. So he did.

"I kind of lied..." The words said.

"What do-" Levi was prepared to ask, but Eren stopped him by pressing a hand into his lips, silencing any further questions.

"Since this agreement, Armin has been with me this entire time, and I haven't had one moment alone with you, so I was trying to find a way to get to talk to you in private." Oh, so that's what Eren lied about. "I was just looking for the opportunity to talk to you."

"You need to talk to me about something?" Levi questioned. Eren nodded his head and began writing, but his hand stalled on one word.

"About..." Levi pressed his hand into Eren's, attempting to get the brunette writing again, but he didn't miss the subtle jump in the kid's muscles at the touch. "About what happened... When we went on our date..." Eren's hand was barely grasping the pen as he handed it to Levi, and as Levi took it, he saw the heavy blush on his normally tan cheeks.

"Are you talking about the park?" Levi asked. He gave Eren his pen back, and Eren practically jumped again at the way their fingers lightly brushed together.

"That too... I meant when I..." Eren hesitated. "... When I kissed your cheek."

Well, if Levi wasn't dumbfounded before, he was now.

"What about that...?"

"I just..." Eren looked away for a moment, his cheeks turning a shade darker in embarrassment. "Wanted to apologize..."

"Apologize...? Apologize for what?" Levi truly didn't understand.

"When I finally got the chance to come see you again, you seemed really upset. I thought that maybe what I did upset you or made you angry, and I wanted to apologize and say I was sorry. I really like you, and I don't want to ruin everything because of one kiss on your cheek."

So he had seen it. It was true, when Eren got to see him a week later, he did try to avoid him, but only because he was confused. He thought he was acting like his usual self, but Hanji had said otherwise, and apparently Eren noticed his unusual behavior as well.

Levi sighed. If only Eren knew. If only he knew that this was just as confusing for him as it was for Eren. Levi never did the whole dating thing "properly" even though he did it twice, so the idea of "relationships" didn't click right for him.

If only Eren knew.

"You thought I was upset?" Levi asked on the paper. Eren slowly nodded his head, gold eyes adverted to the floor in embarrassment. "Listen, Eren, you don't need to apologize. I wasn't angry with you."

"Upset then...?"

"No, I wasn't anything. I'm not upset with you, okay?" When Eren didn't respond, Levi clicked his tongue and forced Eren's head up so he could find his eyes. Eren squeaked a small sound of surprise, and Levi glared at him, an almost mother-like glare that would make any child tell the truth or kill them with their own shame. Eren whined and nodded his head, his hand grabbing for the pen in Levi's hand.

"Don't do that."

"Don't do what?"

"Don't look at me that way." Eren made another small sound in his throat. "I get... Very confused when you do that."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean... My heart beats really fast and I feel like my vision is blurry. I've never felt like this before, and I... I know it's because you look at me that way."

"I didn't know I did that to you."

"You do!" Eren looked to the ground with a huff, but knowing how he felt about this, Levi forced his head back up. He met Eren's eyes, not intending to look at him in any certain way, but it didn't seem to work. He saw the way Eren's cheeks flushed, how his pupils dilated considerably, and how Eren's breath barely caressed his face. Eren pulled back and shook his head to get rid of the blush, his fingers tightening around his notebook. "Can I try again?" He asked on the paper.

Levi shook his head and shrugged his shoulders, his silent way of telling Eren that he didn't understand what he meant.

"Can I try kissing you again?" He asked. Levi felt an odd sort of shiver go down his spine at the words. He moved to respond, but the pen began writing again. "Just this once, only this time... Can I try it on your lips?"

He certainly was a blunt kid. That was for sure.

Levi knew he was blushing, even if it was barely noticeable. He cleared his throat, eyes looking down at the floor and then back to the words. He eventually looked up at him again, and Eren's eyes were so persistent and determined that it was a little derailing.

He hadn't had someone look at him like that in a long time. It wasn't even because someone wanted to kiss him; no, it was just the determination. That wasn't to say that Levi hadn't kissed anybody before, even though he hadn't. The closest thing he ever got to kissing was one peck on the cheek, but he couldn't remember who that was other than Eren, whether it was a relative or a friend.

That's right. Even at thirty-four, Levi hadn't had one kiss to his lips yet. He wouldn't walk around like a child and say that he hasn't had a "first kiss" yet, but that was precisely the case. He'd never kissed anyone, and no one had ever kissed him, and the idea of suddenly giving that opportunity to Eren had him feeling an odd flutter in his chest that didn't seem to go away. Obviously his discomfort showed, because Eren was quickly writing in his notebook to make up for what he said.

"Only if you won't get upset with me, of course! If it upsets you, I won't do it, I was just curious, and I-" Levi stopped Eren's incessant writing by taking the pen from him and writing his answer down.

"Shut up, brat. It wouldn't upset me." Levi wrote. Eren looked up at him through his bangs, his cheeks red, though Levi wasn't sure of what anymore. It was probably the same thing that was causing Levi's cheeks to flush a level darker now, which was more obvious with his pale skin. "Just once, got it?"

At the words written down, Eren frantically nodded his head, a small sound leaving him in agreement.

"Okay..." He mumbled. Levi quietly groaned for a moment before touching the back of Eren's head, making him lift it. Eren's lips barely parted on a silent gasp, his hands grabbing at the front of Levi's shirt to hold onto him like a lifeline while the notebook fell to the ground. Levi's hand relaxed, fingers untangling themselves from his soft, brown hair to slip to his cheek. Eren quietly sighed, and the breath was soft against Levi's lips as he moved forward.

"Hey, Eren!" Levi jumped back at the sound of Armin's voice calling out for his friend, ultimately spooking Eren in the process. He quickly cleared his throat and tried to calm the redness in his cheeks before the kid could find them.

"He's over here with me!" Levi called out. He quickly picked up the notebook that had fallen and wrote his explanation in it, which was quick and simple for fear of being caught by the blond. "Armin is coming." He wrote.

Just as he gave Eren his pen back, Armin appeared from behind one of the shelves.

"Ah, there you are." He said with a smile and signed. "Mikasa just texted me. She wants us home early for dinner." He explained.

"Oh..." Eren mumbled. He stood up from the ladder step and wrote in his book. "Sorry..." The writing said, but the notebook was turned only in Levi's direction so he could be the only one to read it. Levi rolled his eyes at the kid and pushed at his back, making him walk forward. Eren began signing to his friend, and the blond replied with a smile.

"She got Chinese food for dinner." He answered. "And yes, she got you soda this time." Levi followed the two as they made their way back to their table. They collected their things, and Eren lingered as Armin moved ahead to warm up their car. Eren looked at Levi, a frown on his lips, though the blush still remained. Levi sighed and patted his back, to which Eren began writing in his notebook.

"And you aren't mad...?" He asked. Levi nodded his head and took the pen from him.

"Not even close." Levi looked up at the kid, momentarily cursing at him for being so tall (or maybe at himself for being so short), but it didn't last long. Eren leaned down and kissed Levi's cheek once again, his lips lingering for a moment longer than the first kiss did. When he pulled away, his cheeks were the darkest shade of red they had turned all day, and Eren was starting to resemble a tomato.

"Bye Levy..." He said softly. Levi felt a small smile tug at the corner of his lips as he nodded his head, watching Eren turn to leave.

He could definitely get used to that nickname.

A/N: If you pay close attention, you can see plot forming... Oh God. Okay, I'm going to bed now. XD