Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

"You owe me." Eren groaned as he glared at the person standing at his dorm door. He had barely gotten any sleep that night, at least three hours because all he could think about was how horrible he was yesterday and how he had ruined the date with Levi. The guilt had caused him to stay up all night and be angry with himself. He decided to skip class, his grade was good enough to do so and he had nothing to turn in.

But, his good morning had been ruined when Jean came knocking at his door. "I don't owe you sh*t Jean." He said as he walked back into his dorm and Jean entered, shutting the door behind him. "I was trying to sleep. I didn't get very much sleep last night and I have the biggest headache in the world at the moment and your face doesn't help." Eren sat on his bed, rubbing at his head groggily. His mind was still half asleep.

"You never came by practice."

Eren rolled his eyes. "I had other things to be doing. Like homework and worrying about things." Jean raised an eyebrow. "Don't worry about it." He sighed and stood up, stripping off his shirt before tossing it at Jean as he looked for a new one. "I could use some fresh air and I'm already late for my first class and I don't have any others today, but I need to study." He changed successfully, grabbing his stuff, waiting for Jean to lead the way as they walked out.

Farlan narrowed his eyes as he saw Eren and Jean walking together, a little too closely in his opinion. Levi had told Farlan about their deal the night before when he'd returned to the apartment that the two of them shared. Wasn't Eren supposed to be giving Levi a chance? By the looks of it, Eren wasn't distancing himself at all. The way the two boys looked at each other, the small gestures and touches... he didn't like the looks of it.

Levi walked into class, his gazing trailing the chairs in search for Eren, frowning as he didn't see him. Was he alright?

Eren set his stuff down next to a tree, groaning at the sunlight so he decided to stand under the shade of the tree, cracking his neck and he stretched a little bit to waken up his body and his mind as he watched do some kind of trick with the soccer ball as though it was a hacky sack. He looked up at Eren, the ball balancing on his foot before he tossed it in the air to Eren.

They kicked it back and forth, practicing tricks like they had done in backyards during high school. Eren smiled at the memories, laughing as Jean missed the ball with the top of his head and it hit him square in the face. Jean shot him a glare, shooting Eren a fast ball that he was kick to receive much to his surprise. He hadn't done something like this in a while and he ran towards Jean, the ball weaving back and forth and he dodged Jean before kicking the ball into the wall.

"I win." Eren said with a smug grin and he pulled out his phone to check the time but he also found a bunch of messages from Isabel. "I'll catch you later. Class is almost over and I gotta meet a couple people before class." He slung his backpack over his shoulders and they did their handshake before Eren broke into a jog to the class that would get out a in a couple minutes.

Levi sighed, stretching his arms as the class was dismissed and neatly putting all of his papers and pencil in his bag. "Ready?" He asked, standing and looking at Isabel who sat beside him. She nodded and they made their way out of class, her babbling about something and him tuning her out, wondering where Eren would enjoy eating tonight for their date.

As Eren jogged around the corner, he bumped into someone, Eren catching himself by grabbing onto the corner of the wall. "Oh, sh*t are you okay?" He asked and he looked to see that it was Farlan. "Oh, hey Farlan. I'm sorry I didn't see you there." Eren didn't see Isabel and Levi making their way down the hall after spotting the two of them and Eren bent down to help Farlan pick up his papers.

"Shouldn't you be in class?" He asked, almost a bit too harshly.

"I didn't get much sleep last night, so I skipped and slept in."

Farlan scoffed, his gaze darkening as it set on Eren. "I don't know, you and Jean seemed pretty awake together this morning." Eren's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Why was Farlan getting so mad at him? Before Eren could say anything, Farlan pushed past Eren, bumping his shoulder and Eren's eyebrows raised out of their furrowed gaze in a different kind of confusion as he watched Farlan push out the doors.

"What was that about?" Someone asked and he looked to see Isabel walking over to him along with Levi.

Levi rolled his eyes. "He must be in one of his moods again." But his eyes followed Farlan who was now stalking down the hallway, and most definitely looking upset. He would have to talk to his brother once he got home tonight.

Isabel crossed her arms. "I don't know. He seemed like he was in a pretty good mood this morning. He made coffee and everything, which is something he never does." She sighed. 'Well whatever. I'll catch you two later." She waved, leaving the two of them alone.

"What class do you have next?" Eren asked Levi. He knew he had asked this question before, but he could never remember for the life of him. "I can never remember." He admitted. "Maybe I can meet you after. I have to go to the library and study since I don't have classes or whatever today."

"Psychology." He reminded Eren with a sigh, it was like the boy had no memory. Levi practically had to remind him everyday.

"Sure, sounds good to me." He agreed, thrilled that Eren had asked him as opposed to Levi asking first.

"Cool." Eren said with a bright smile. "I'll walk yku to your next class then." He pushed the door open for Levi as they walked out. There was a small smile on Eren's face as they walked.

"Sorry I wasn't in class." He said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. "I got, like, no sleep last night and I'm not used to no sleep and I figured I could just skip since I didn't have classes for the rest of the day." He peered over at Levi.

Levi gave a small shrug. "I understand that. Trust me, as one of the world's worst insomniacs I know how it feels." he admitted. Ever since he was young he started developing insomnia. He knew there were doctors he could see and medication he could take, but quite frankly he wasn't interested in any of that. At least he got a lot done thanks to his condition.

"Okay, this might sound a little random, but has Farlan said anything about me?" Eren asked after a moment of silence as he shifted his backpack to the opposite shoulder. "When I accidentally bumped into him, he seemed like he was really pissed off over something that me bumping into him. And I don't think I did anything wrong?" He looked over at Levi.

It did concern him a little that Farlan was mad at him over something he doesn't know that he did.

"I did notice that. He hasn't said anything about it but I'll ask him when he comes home tonight, maybe he can shed a little light on it." Levi responded, worrying his bottom lip between his teeth for a moment before stopping and realizing what a horrible habit that was. He sighed. "He's probably just in a bad mood."

"I hope so." Eren said under his breath. The rest of the walk back to Levi's class was a comfortable silence between them. All he could think was what he could have done to make Farlan so upset with him. He had said something about he and Jean which led him to believe that maybe Farlan had seen the two of them this morning but if he had, then he would have said hi. At least Eren would like to think so.

He shook his head as they stopped by the classroom. "Is there anywhere you want to meet after this class or how many classes do you have left?"

"I have two classes left. How about I'll text you when I'm done and then we can meet up?" He suggested, still deciding where exactly he wanted to take Eren. Definitely not the diner like yesterday, maybe a semi-formal restaurant? He wasn't really sure yet, two classes should be more than enough time to really think on the subject.

Eren smiled and gave a slight nod. "Yeah, sure. Sounds good." He waved at Levi as he watched the other boy enter his classroom before turning on his heel and he made his way to the library. It was thankfully quiet enough for him to actually get some studying done before being interrupted by his friends. He had to give up once he knew they were coming because he could never get anything done when they were around.

"You look better than you did this morning." Marco noted as he sat down at one of the chairs, Armin and his sister Mikasa sitting at the other two. "Did you actually sleep?"

He shrugged, shutting the textbook in front of him. "Well, I would have gotten a little more if Jean hadn't been a fucktard and came knocking at the d*mn door." He rubbed at his face and slumped down in his seat.

"What did he even want? I'm surprised he was awake that early." Mikasa said, earning a snort from Armin.

"Sometimes he has soccer practice in the morning. Which I think he did this morning which was why he was actually at my room. Also because I totally ditched him last night and went straight home after I had ruined a date." The three of them stared at him like he had grown two heads. They all raised their eyebrows, expecting Eren to explain. "Yeah, I went on a date. So what?"

They exchanged looks. "With who?"

Eren let out a sigh. He knew that explaining everything to them would take a while. So he was thankful that he had a couple hours to do so. "Okay, well it started with a party that Isabel dragged me to..."

It was halfway through his second class that Levi finally made up his mind on where to take Eren. It was a nice Italian restaurant a little ways from campus, but it wasn't too bad of a drive. He smiled and pulled his phone out of his pocket, sending a message to Eren:

Dress nice tonight. I'll meet you at your dorm at six, sharp.

"Eren, you have literally gone through your /entire/ closet twice. It's just a date. With Levi. Pretty sure he's not going to murder you if you're not wearing a suit. He's gonna be here soon. He said six right?" Marco looked at the clock on his computer. "It's five forty-five." Eren groaned and fell face first onto his bed and Marco sighed before moving off his own bed. "I swear, the things I have to do for you."

He looked through his own clothes, rummaging through his clothes before finding a pair of black slacks and he threw the pair at Eren's head. "Those should fit you." Eren sat up and stared at them, a questioning look on his face because he never remembered being the same size as Marco. The freckled boy was a bit bigger than Eren, but he wasn't about to complain. As he slipped the pants on, thankfully they were perfectly fitting, he watched Marco rummage through Eren's clothes and he pulled out a white button up shirt.

"Oh, hey, you found it." Eren said with a grin and Marco rolled his eyes.

 "Okay, gonna be a little honest for a moment," Marco said as he handed the shirt to Eren as the other boy stripped off the one he was wearing. "Those pants look great on you. Your butt looks fantastic." Eren quirked an eyebrow in amusement, poking his butt out in the slightest as he looked over his shoulder at it. "Well not when you do that." Eren snorted, his fingers moving to button the buttons and he tucked the shirt in. Marco found one of his old, black ties and wrapped it around Eren's neck, knowing his friend would have no clue how to do it himself.

"Marco, I'm not a child."

 "Eren, yes you are."

Where Eren was a nervous, fumbling mess, Levi himself was a nervous put-together mess. He showered and dried his black undercut carefully. he couldn't help smiling to himself a bit as he stood in the bathroom drying his hair. He had made it to a second date, technically, even though their first one had been a disaster. This was the last thing Levi has expected to be doing today, but it was much more welcome than sitting at his desk, drinking tea and studying. As much as he loved tea, spending time with Eren would always top it. Levi's stomach flipped at just the thought of Eren.

Once he finished, he sorted through his wardrobe and pulled out a pair of nice black slacks and pulled on a crisp black button up, carefully tucking it in and rolling his sleeves up. He laced his belt through the loops and made sure his pockets were tucked in, put on his watch, and slipped on black socks and black dress shoes. Many would argue that he was wearing too much black, but even he had to admit he looked good in the crisp dress clothes.

Once he was satisfied with his appearance, he grabbed his wallet and keys, locked his apartment, climbed into his car and heading over to Eren's dorm. He was vaguely disappointed that he hadn't seen Farlan at their little apartment before he had to leave, but his excitement and nervousness trumped that disappointment by far.

 He took a steely and nervous breath, running his hands through his raven hair and checking his appearance in the visor mirror one more time before getting out and going up to Eren's door. The knock seemed to reverberate through him and strength the butterflies dancing into his stomach into more of a forceful hurdle.

 Just when Eren thought he was done freaking out and panicking, a knock came to the door that sent him into a spiraling fit of struggles and curses as he bumped and hopped around the too small dorm while he tried to slip on his converse. But, of course, it couldn't go smooth for Eren and he tripped, a girlish scream leaving his mouth as he fell on his bed.

Marco snorted a laugh, his mouth covered by his hand. "Shut it Marco!" Once Eren was sure that his shoes were tied and he looked nice. He ran a hand through his hair and smoothed over his clothes before opening the door with a sheepish smile. Marco was still laughing in the back, saying something that only Eren could hear and he shot Marco a glare.

He waved goodbye after checking for his phone and keys and stepped out of the dorm. "Sorry about that." He laughed a little nervously, shoving his shaking hands in his back pockets. "Didn't mean to keep you waiting." They began to walk and Eren took a couple deep breaths before looking over Levi. He would be honest to say that Levi looked better in black than a lot of people Eren knew. "You look nice." He commented.

Levi couldn't help but give a snicker, amusement dancing in his gray eyes as Eren opened the door, his eyes wandering over Eren's slightly disheveled form, somehow it made him just that more attractive. "You look good too." He appraised with approval, the white shirt accented his golden skin and his dark hair even more. He snickered again as his eyes reached the converse. "It's so you, too." He mused. It was kind of cute actually.

Eren's face lit up a bright red and he looked down at his shoes. "I'm sorry. They were the nicest thing that I had in my closest. And I'm not sure if I should take offense to that or not." He laughed again, a genuine smile making it's way to his face as he watched amusement fill Levi's eyes.

"Holy shit, this is not your car?" Eren stated as they walked outside. "Do you own your own drug cartel, jesus fuck." He slid into the passenger seat carefully as if he was afraid he was going to damage something and have to sell his soul to fix it. Eren didn't even have his driver's license. Why would you need one when you literally ran everywhere you went and had other friends to drive you places?

"No, I like it. It's very you, quite frankly I think it's cute." He admitted bluntly with a smile as they slid into his silver 2013 vanquish. His and Farlan's parents were very well off and a car like this wasn't a big deal for them, Farlan had his own red sports car that he liked to speed around in, but they both usually just left them parked in a special garage off campus so they wouldn't be stolen. Neither of them were dumb enough to just leave their cars parked in their lots.

"Yeah, my adopted parents are really well off. This is my baby." He admitted, patting the dash as he took off. Despite the showy car, he always stayed within five miles per hour of the speed limit. He wasn't stupid enough to get pulled over. "Maybe sometime I'll have to show you what she can really do." He grinned.

Eren was speechless. He should have pieced it together. He's been in Farlan's car before. They had driven around, gone to a few soccer games together with Jean and Izzy. But, then again he didn't know that Levi was his brother. It all made sense now.

He let out a laugh covered by his hand and he looked over at Levi. "You call your car your 'baby'?" He asked with air quotes. "And I'm not entirely sure what that offer means, but I'm gonna take it anyway." Eren grinned back at Levi. It was different than what Farlan had called his car. The fact that he had given it a name was amusing enough to Eren.

"I've been in Farlan's car before. Almost everyone had. Especially Izzy." Eren and Isabel were close enough for her to tell him everything, and some of those things he probably could live without knowing.

Levi's thoughts skated over everything Eren said and his foot sudden connected with the brakes and the car came to an abrupt halt, thankfully there was no one else on the road or they most definitely would have been in an accident.

"Don't you dare get blood in my car." He warned as Eren lurched forward and he put the car in park in the middle of the road, turning to look at Eren with fierce gray eyes. "Now what the fuck does that even mean?" He asked, suspicious of the tone Eren had used. He'd been suspicious of Isabel and Farlan being a little more than friends for a while, but he wasn't completely sure.

Eren flew forward, his face smashing with the dashboard before being pulled back by the wonderful force of gravity and his head hit the back of the seat with a loud thump that made his ears ring and his head was pounding. "Holy hell." Eren hissed and he brought his hand up to his nose to find that it was, yes, indeed bleeding. Along with his lip he had bit too.

He groaned and lolled his head to the side to glare at Levi with just as much fierceness. So much for starting well. "Well thanks for the concern. I'll make a note of that next time." Eren snapped back as he tried to stop the bleeding. It wasn't gushing, just a drop or two and he didn't want to get it on his white shirt or Levi's car.

"What are you even talking about?" Eren asked, groaning in pain. "I was kidding, Levi. Take a chill pill. Jesus, that hurt." He was thankful that the bleeding had stopped, looking around to see if there were any kind of tissues. Surely Levi had to have some lurking around in his immaculate car.

Eren took the tissues, wiping his nose and hands once he was positive the bleeding had stopped. "Yeah, yeah I'm fine." He waved Levi off, giving a reassuring smile even though he winced with pain. "I'm sorry I didn't mean to surprise you. But it's nothing. Don't worry about it. We should probably go though before we get in trouble for being parked in the middle of the road."

He probably should have thought twice before opening his mouth.

"Wrap your tissues in another tissue and put it in the glove box." Levi said, putting the car back in drive before taking off again, feeling a little bad for having slammed on his breaks so hard. "I suppose I don't really think when I'm driving about other people being in the car, I don't drive people around much." He admitted.

Eren did as he was told and sighed, touching at his nose gingerly. "It's okay. I've had worse. I've actually broke my nose and a few other bones. Don't worry about it. You were concerned about Isabel, and it's understandable because it's hard not to be." He ended that with a snort, making him wince in pain from the action. It was an endless cycle for him.

"Where are we going anyways? I hope they don't mind people with bruised noses." Eren gave a sarcastic thumbs up to Levi when they were at a stop sign, laughing at the glare he received.

Levi leaned over, wordlessly pulling Eren's face closer and inspecting his nose, brushing over it lightly with his thumb. "Sorry, it isn't noticeable though." He mused in a soft tone, his breath ghosting across Eren's cheek momentarily before he drew back, releasing Eren's face and driving once again.

Eren's smile instantly fell and his breath hitched in his throat as Levi pulled him closer. He didn't hear the words Levi had said, his mind reeling almost as quick as his heart was pumping in his chest. Red flushed his cheeks as he stared at Levi with wide eyes. He could feel Levi's soft breath on his cheek and he could feel his heart leap to his throat. But within a moment it's gone as fast as it came and Eren is leaning back into the seat as his hand subconsciously reaches up to faintly brush his fingers over the skin where Levi's breath once was.

Levi didn't notice Eren's reaction and the rest of the car ride there was spent in silence, Levi brooding over what he had done and the guilt he felt for bashing Eren's nose into the dashboard. Who did that when they were on a date? it was fucked up is what it was.

Finally, they pulled into the restaurant parking lot. "I hope you like Italian." He mused with a grin, going over to Eren's side and opening his door for him.

Eren wasn't able to register what Levi said to him before getting out the car for split second which allowed him to groan slightly. He was surprised when Levi opened the door and he gave the shorter boy a sheepish smile, his mind still a little dazed from a few moments ago.

"Italian," Eren said quietly to himself. It was a bit hard to think with his new raging headache, but he could manage. "I like Italian. It explains why you wanted to dress nice." They walked in, the smell of spaghetti and garlic hitting his nose.

"I'm gonna go clean my face and I'll be right back." Eren said to Levi. They had a couple minutes before being seated so he thought it would be a good enough time as any.

Levi nodded as they waited for their seats to be prepared. He had manage to pull a few strings with his parents' influence to get them reservations here tonight but they had yet to finish preparations for a table. Levi sighed as he waited and scratched at the short hair on the underside of his undercut. He felt pretty bad for stopping abruptly like he had, it wasn't exactly ideal for a date, to have him bash your nose in before it really even started.

Once Eren was sure he was clean enough, he ran his hands through his hair, smoothing it down. Taking a deep breath, he walked back out. He wasn't sure why he was so nervous. Well, besides the fact that he had fucked up the first date.

He saw Levi and walked up behind him, his own hands running through Levi's hair, ruffling it and he laughed at Levi's startled reaction. "Stop feeling bad." He walked around Levi and leaned on the wall behind him, crossing his ankles. "It was an accident. Accidents happen."

Levi was surprised at the sudden contact and his stomach did large, over-exaggerated cartwheels inside of him and he chuckled, a little nervously. "Still." He mused, unable to resist looking Eren's well-dressed form over once more as he stood against the wall, beautiful with that cocky little air about him. Somehow, it seemed to suit him.

After a few more minutes, the hostess finally called their name and guided them to their table. Levi pulled Eren's chair out for him with an expectant look.

"Oh, what a gentleman." Eren said, covering his mouth with the tips of his fingers he had seen girls do in movies. "Thank you, Levi." He said sincerely as Levi pushed him in and he watched him sit across from him. Eren couldn't help but look around at the restaurant. So far there weren't any horribly cheesy, flirtatious looking waiters or waitresses. That was a plus. He had made it very clear to himself that he would solely focus on Levi and getting to know him better.

"This place is so nice." He patted his pockets after a moment, panicking. "Sh*t, I forgot my wallet back at the dorm." He felt bad for Levi paying for everything even though it was a date.

Levi waved a hand at Eren. "Good. don't worry about paying. I asked you on the date so it is only right that I pay." He told Eren sternly, adjusting himself in his chair, looking at the boy across from him. "Besides, I felt like Italian today anyways." He joked with a smirk.

"But I still feel bad about it." Eren groaned and leaned on the table with his elbows, his cheeks squished in his hands. He couldn't help but laugh at what Levi had said next and he raised an eyebrows, removing on of his hands from his face and he messed with the sleeve of his shirt at his elbow, his other hand drumming his fingers on his chin. "So even if I didn't like Italian, we would have come here anyways?" A small laugh escaped at the end of the sentence.

Levi rolled his eyes. "Of course not. I double checked with Isabel first, obviously. I wouldn't want to take you somewhere you wouldn't like." He said, amused. He watched him fidget, tugging and drumming almost nervously. "Speaking of which, is there any specific type of food you don't care for?" Levi asked curiously.

He shrugged, sitting back in his seat and he wrung his fingers in his lap, his leg bouncing up and down. He didn't know why he was so nervous, and it was making him mad. There was no reason to be so nervous with Levi. He was hoping he wasn't giving off that vibe either.

He fidgeted again, getting annoyed with himself as he adjusted himself in the seat. "Well, I am a growing child, so I don't really care about any kind except Mexican food." He made a face of slight disgust. "No thanks. I mean, I like taco bell. Chinese food is my favorite." He drew with his finger on the condensation on the class before realizing how childish he was being and he folded his hands on the table. "What about you?"

Levi shrugged, watching Eren with amusement, he looked about as nervous as Levi felt. "I can't say I'm particularly picky, although Italian and Chinese are at the top of my list." He said with a half-smile, running his own ivory finger along the rim of the glass in front of him. "You don't need to be nervous, I don't bite. Most of the time anyway." He chuckled with a smirk.

Eren froze. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to..." he trailed off, not really knowing where his apology was going. He didn't know his fidgeting was obvious enough to comment on. He was glad that Chinese was one of Levi's favorites as well. He was a little hopefully they could have takeout sometime. Levi's next sentence caught him off guard, but not as much as it probably should have.

He felt his own smirk make it's way to his face as he looked at Levi over the rim of the water glass. "Oh, well I'll make sure to keep that in mind." He sent a playful smirk Levi's way.

"Please do." Levi joked, sitting back in his chair and regarding Eren carefully for a few moment with his heavily lidded eyes. Silence filled the air between them, it was comfortable but Levi didn't want silence, he wanted the air to be filled with Eren's voice and his sweet, round laugh.

"What's your favorite place to be?" Levi asked curiously, in a light tone. He was more just trying to make conversation and get to know Eren without getting too deep. Sure, he knew some stuff about Eren, but not nearly as much as he wanted to. He could never know enough.

"The ocean." Eren replied on instinct. "The aquarium. Anywhere with fish or with water. I love both. I love to swim. I practically am a fish, or at least my mom would tell me that." He smiled at the memory. "I've been to the aquarium so many times. Oh! Or soccer games. I love it so much. I mean, even though I don't play anymore, I still watch it often."

He let his eyes rake over Levi's appearance. Even though he had already taken a look at Levi, he certainly didn't mind doing it again. Levi was attractive, he would give the other boy that much. "What about you? You have any special hobbies or hangouts? Besides riding around in your fancy a** car." Eren gave him a teasing smile.

Levi made a mental note to take Eren to the aquarium sometime since it was too cold to go to the ocean right now. He knew of an aquarium a few towns over, they weren't that far from the coast. "Well, it's mostly still just reading books and playing the piano. They are pretty mellow and boring to most people but... I've always been a bit of an introvert. 

"Reading isn't that boring." Eren said with a smile. "I mean, obviously, I'm not a big reader. I'm more of a movie person. We're almost like opposites." He paused. "What kind of movies do you like? Depending if you like them."

"No, I like movies. They just don't last as long as books." He pointed out. The one thing he didn't like about movies was the brevity of them and you couldn't get deep into the plot, not like in books. You didn't know what the characters on screen were thinking, and sometimes you didn't even know what they were feeling if they weren't good actors.

"I don't have a specific genre, although I hate sappy romance. All of those unrealistic, cliche, straight people... not really my thing." He admitted.

Was it bad that Eren especially loved those movies?

He didn't know what it was about them but whenever he watched one, he was always hooked. He always found himself kind of sappy, depending on what it was of course. He's always kind of liked the idea of romance and being happy with someone, hence all the relationships that have inevitably failed besides one or two. He sometimes liked sappy and cliche. Straight people he didn't mind because he usually thought of himself as bisexual but he wasn't so sure about that anymore as of lately.

But he certainly wasn't about to tell that to Levi.

He was supposed to be "Mr. Suave Flirtatious Smile" and he was, according to his friends until he got nervous and he became the clumsiest person on the planet.

"Oh," was all Eren could manage out from embarrassment. "I mean... there's nothing /wrong/ with them," he muttered, "but what's your favorite genre then? Of movie or of book?"

From that, Levi could tell he did like the romance genre, but that was personal preference. "No, there isn't anything wrong with them, they just aren't my type. Personal preference more than anything, but I suppose I prefer a good action movie. When It comes it comes to books... I read way too many tragedies." He admitted. Some of his favorites had been tragedies, in all honesty. But he would read just about anything that fell into his hands.

"I think the last book I read was with Izzy. Or Mikasa?" Eren dropped his hand onto the table where he began to drum hid fingers. "I don't remember but it was some John Greene book. Gonna admit that it was really good."

He shrugged. "I love horror movies. I will say that much. Love them so much for some reason. All my friends always say it's strange how much I like them. But I do. It's the thrill. The exhilaration of what's gonna happen and who's gonna possibly die next. But I will never play a horror video game."

"Oh, why's that?" the raven-haired man asked, amusement flitting across his face. "Is it the idea that it is you experiencing the horror first hand?" Levi himself didn't mind the horror genre, as shitty as most of the acting and sound effects were, he had come to find them rather amusing. Hanji had insisted he watch horror movies with her every weekend for almost a year once.

Eren snorted. "No, because they're fucking terrifying. Have you ever played one? I have. Yeah, no thanks. Never again. You can't do, say, or give me anything to get me to play a horror game. Like the slender man games. I will punch your computer and break it. I know it from experience. I did it to Jean's in the tenth grade.

The waiter finally came, and Eren couldn't help but give him a little look over. He was cute, Eren would admit that. He ordered some kind of pasta and turned his attention to Levi as he took a drink of his water.

Levi ordered a pasta dish as well, having picked a random one off the menu without much thought, he generally wasn't a picky eater so he wasn't worried about not liking the food. "I have to admit, I pegged you as someone to enjoy horror games, but I suppose I can picture you sh*tting your pants from them as well." He mused, sipping at the water that had been placed in front of him earlier.

can play them, it's just the unexpected jump scares that are so close to your face and they're weird, random, deformed creatures of Satan that get to me. Now I really want to play one just to prove you wrong." Eren sat forward with a challenging look on his face. "Have you ever played one Levi?"

Levi met his challenging look with a smirk and had an idea where this was going. "I haven't played any, but a friend of mine from high school made me watch her play them all the time." Hanji had always been a strange one and horror was one of her favorite genres of everything. Books, movies, video games, art. It was crazy. He'd never seen someone so immersed in a single genre.

"But you've never played? How can you talk shit about them if you've never experienced one?" He asked with a raised eyebrow, a smug looking coming to his face. Even though Eren's only ever played one horror game by himself, he's played many with a couple friends with him so it was more comforting and less terrifying. But Levi had never played one. " We should play one together." He suggested nonchalantly. "Because I love horror and you've never played. Seems like it would be interesting."

"Are you sure you won't regret it later? From the sounds of it you get pretty freaked out." Levi teased, amused by the idea of seeing Eren play one of those games. He had a feeling it could be quite entertaining. He'd seen some pretty interesting reactions, but somehow he had a feeling Eren's would be priceless to experience.

Eren scowled at Levi, sitting back in his chair with his arms crossed over this chest. "I think I'm regretting it now." His teeth tried to bite back the small smile that was making it's way to his face and he glanced over at Levi. He wasn't looking at Eren for once, looking around and Eren's eyes roamed around Levi's face. He had been doing that a lot today, he's noticed.

After a moment, Eren spoke up. "Tell me something interesting about yourself, sir Levi."

Both piano and singing lessons." Levi had previously told the brunette about him being able to play the piano, but never that he'd gotten formal lessons for singing. No one really knew Levi could sing as well as he did, it was just an unexpected talent of his. Not even Isabel or Farlan had ever really heard him sing. "I also dabbled in the cello a bit."

Eren was a bit taken back by this. He knew about the piano playing but not about the singing. "That's so cool. How's it going so far?" He asked curiously. "And that reminds me when I learned how to play the drums... or at least I tried. I wasn't coordinated enough so I stuck with soccer. That's like the only talent I have. I could never be able to play like two instruments and sing as well." He gave Levi a small clap. "Wish I could be that talented. You should definitely show me sometime when you're playing the piano for me."

"Ah, well... I've never actually sang for anyone except my instructor. I'm not that good, but if you want me to I will." He admitted with a low chuckle, his fingers gently scratching at the bottom of his undercut on his neck.

"I'm sure you're great." Eren countered back. "And I would. I think it would nice because I've never known anyone who could play the cello and most of the people that I know, suck ass at singing and you look like you could be an amazing singer and I don't doubt that you are." He smiled at Levi.

"Don't get your hopes too high."

Just then, their waiter came with their food, setting it down in front of each of them, pouring them each a glass of wine, and leaving the two again. Levi sipped cautiously at the wine, it wasn't too bad in all honesty. He took a bite of his pasta, chewing it thoughtfully. That wasn't too bad either. "How is it?"

Eren didn't bother with the wine. He was never a fan of wine. He was more of a beer person even though he has gone through his fair share of wine bottles at sleepovers during high school. He took a bite of his own food after watching Levi's reaction. It was better than he had expected it to be even though he didn't really have an expectation for it.

"It's actually pretty good. Better than I thought it would be honestly." He took another bite, poking his fork in Levi's direction. "How's yours?"

He smiled, pleased that Eren was enjoying it. "It's good. But I can't say I've ever been one to favor fancy restaurants." He admitted, picking at his food and taking small bites on occasion.

"Yeah, same here. I'm not a fancy person. I mean, I don't even have dress shoes. Usually I just borrow from Jean or Marco. I'm more for take out or diners and stuff like that. Never been on a picnic though. Which is just like your own food eaten outside on a blanket. I've seen High School Musical. That sh*t is cheesy, but I can't say I don't like it." He sent a grin to Levi.

Levi made a mental note to take Eren on a picnic. He'd never been overly fond of them because of ants and other bugs that could get in your food, but he'd been on a few forced ones with Isabel and Farlan. "I prefer those myself. It's stuffy in places like this. I've been on a few picnics, they aren't too bad." Another mental note that Eren preferred takeout and diners as opposed to a fancy place like this.

"You've been on one?" Eren asked curiously. It surprised him. Levi didn't seem like the type to go on picnics or the type to dislike fancy places. He seemed like he was quite the opposite. "What do you even do on them? They don't seem like very much fun unless it's all planned out or I guess it could depend on the place you have the picnic."

A silence fell between them. "What's the stupidest thing you've ever done?" He asked suddenly. "You seem like the kind of person who actually thinks before they speak or act so there has to be some kind of fun story you have hiding."

"Hm... Let me ask you something first. What else has Isabel told you about me?" Levi asked with a sigh. She'd already told the brunette a few embarrassing stories about him, somehow he doubted they would stop there.

Eren kept himself silent for a minute, looking over at Levi with a slightly smug look. He picked up the glass of wine, gingerly taking a sip. "Nothing of importance." He took another, licking his lips to remove the lingering taste and set the glass down gently. "What has she told you about me? If she's said anything, which is highly doubtful that she hasn't because... well it is Isabel that we're talking about."

He narrowed his eyes at Eren suspiciously. "I don't trust that mug look on your face. She has told you something. What was it?" He asked, already feeling embarrassed. Isabel and Farlan were the only two people who knew anything even remotely embarrassing about him. It made them dangerous in their own ways.

Eren shrugged again, folding his arms over his chest after pushing away the half empty plate of pasta and picked up the glass of wine. He crossed one leg over the other. "Nothing." There had been enough about Levi that Eren learned from Isabel that Eren could write an ten page essay about it. They weren't major things either, just small habits he did often or he had as a kid. His relationships with his parents and Farlan. Little things that Eren would think to gain from Levi himself 

"I'm curious to know what she's said about me."

"Only that you are really good at hacky sack. I don't let her tell me things about you because I would rather hear them from you."

Eren didn't know if he should be embarrassed or flatter at Levi's statement, the red on his cheeks mixing from both. It was a rare thing for him to ever get embarrassed or flatter so easily. He was going to blame it on his nerves. It was just some little pink dust on his cheeks. He could also just blame the temperature of the room.

"Aw, that's so sweet." He mumbled into the wine glass so that Levi couldn't hear him. "I'm not even that great at it." He laughed, more awkward than not. "That's not even something you brag about to someone. We used to play it all the time during soccer team hang outs. It was good practice. You can do some pretty cool shit with a hacky sack."

"I've never tried myself. You'll have to show me." Levi chuckled and chewed thoughtfully for a moment, taking another sip of the wine and then letting his gaze drift back to Eren's face which was tinted pink.

"So, what has Izzy told you about me? I know she's told you lots of things."

"She has." He confirmed. "But they're not big major things about your life as you would think. Just small little habits and things about you that she always deemed necessary to blurt out in the middle of class or the lab. More often than not, they were somewhat related to the conversation that we had been having before. She just liked to brag about you and Farlan. But," he leaned forward from where he was once slumped smugly into his seat, "she did say that you took martial arts and you were pretty high in rankings. Maybe even won a couple tournaments."

Eren had always been intrigued with that kind of sport and he had wanted to do it himself but it was too expensive and he didn't have the coordination it would need, so he stuck to soccer.

"Ah, yeah. My parents really threw me into extracurricular things when I was young to try and distract me from everything. I became a black belt at mixed martial arts when I was sixteen. I've competed in quite a few tournaments, I placed first in nationals once as well, but I quit competing soon after that." Levi explained.

Sure, he had enjoyed his time in martial arts, but after that he had decided to call it quits. Now, he helped teach at a little dojo nearby from time to time.

Eren couldn't help but let his jaw drop a little. "You quit?" He'd ask incredulously. "You were a black belt and you won the national championship. Why would you quit? Did something happen that made you want to quit or did you just loose interest in it?"

Eren and his high school soccer team had once made it to the regional competitions but never nationals. "Why don't you just get a degree in... I don't know what it's called but you can get some kind of degree and teach it can't you?"

He just shrugged. "It wasn't that anything happened or I wasn't interested... but it wasn't what I wanted to do with my life. I do help teach at a nearby dojo every now and then. It's just not what I wanted to do with my life, I suppose. I'm not really sure what I'm going to do with an English major either... I might get a teaching degree and teach high school English." It had definitely been an option the man was considering, but he honestly couldn't understand why it shocked Eren so much... then again not everyone made it to nationals for martial arts.

"I think you'd make a good English teacher. Just don't go too hard on the children. They tend to be sensitive." He quips with a smile. "You should do whatever you think is going to make you happiest with your life. And if that means showing little children how to beat each other senseless then do it. That would be pretty awesome not gonna lie."

"Wow, okay I think you have the wrong idea of what exactly we do." He chuckled with a smirk. "I'd rather extend their vocabulary, I guess. I'm thinking about becoming a literature teacher, I think Izzy is afraid that I will beat the kids up if I do though since high schoolers are such little shits."

Eren let out a laugh. "Well I can definitely tell you that you'll run into some interesting students. My best friend Armin was the kind of student that knew everything, did all the homework, got perfect grades and sometimes even knew more than the teacher, which was pretty amusing because high school students like to think that they're the rulers of the world and that they're always right when most of the time... they most definitely are not."

He was having a better time than he thought he would, considering their last date the the fact that at the beginning of this one Levi had caused him to smash his face into the dashboard because of a comment that he shouldn't have made. The swelling had gone down and it didn't hurt as much anymore but he was sure there would be some kind of bruise to show for it tomorrow. 

Levi allowed a smirk of amusement cross his face. "Interesting... I was a decent student, although I was definitely the high schooler who thought they knew everything," He flicked some hair out of his face before continuing, "which I most definitely didn't. I was such a little sh*t." He sipped at the wine. 

"Is it bad that I can totally see that happening?" Eren asked. "Because I totally can. You seem like you would be that kind of student, whereas I, was most definitely not." He leaned back in his chair with a sigh. "I was kind of friends with all the different types of students, I never really stuck with a specific clique that kids usually have in high school."

"Yeah. I had my own little group that I stayed within, I still do. There were eight of us. You only know me, Isabel, and Farlan though. The rest of my friends either went off to other colleges or got jobs. One of my best friends, Erwin, is actually attending Yale right now." He made a mental note to call Erwin later. They hadn't talked in several weeks.

"You're best friends with the future president of the United States. That's nice to know." Eren teased. "You know some smart people, like Isabel. She's crazy good at some of those science classes and it's kind of scary in all honesty." But it was also nice because she could explain it just as well as she could do it.

"All my friends and I have been friends since either elementary school or middle school, so it was only natural that we had decided to come to the same college. Some would say it's a bit weird, but it made the most sense back then and it hasn't been all that terrible so far."

Levi shrugged. "Not really. I only came to this college because this is where Izzy and Farlan were going. I could have gone to Yale or Harvard or any of those schools, but I wanted to stick close to them. besides, half of the little fuckers in those schools have some kind of a stick up their ass anyways."

"Armin could have gone somewhere like that, he was even offered so be able to study abroad, but," he sighed, swishing the wine around in his glass, "but he decided to stay here with his grandfather. I love that old man. He's pretty funny. He had told Armin to go and study and do what he wanted and follow his dreams and what he wanted to do but he decided to stay here with us. Jean and I had been offered a few scholarships together and we almost went to another college together... but for whatever reason we had decided to stay here."

Eren had really debated about leaving, Mikasa and his father saying it would be good for him to get out and away from the little town he had grown up with and experience life with one of his closest friends. Jean was only willing to go if Eren was. They had agreed to go to college together no matter where it was or what they were doing. But of course that was when they were clueless teenage boys without a handle on life or what they wanted.

"Ah, yeah. Everyone was pissed off at me when I decided to come here instead of Yale because of Isabel and Farlan... but honestly I didn't care by that point. I'm glad I chose to go here. The English program is here and if I hadn't then I never would have met you or anyone else." Honestly, he hadn't met many other people. It was mostly because Eren was here. He was glad he had come here because he got to meet Eren.

"I'm sure that if my mom hadn't passed then I would have gone somewhere else, if I'm being honest. She was always that kind of person to encourage you to go out and try new things and experience the world and just live life to as much as you can. But she also wanted me to be happy and if I'm happy here then I guess it was the best choice." He smiled at Levi. "If you're happiest here and you've liked it so far then that's really all that matters right? Everything happens for a reason."

Levi leaned back, watching him thoughtfully for a moment. "Everything happens for a reason, eh? I can't say I've ever been too sure of that myself. Things happen too often for no real reason in my opinion for me to really believe in that... but I am happy here." He mused. The first thing that had come to his mind were the deaths of his parents. He didn't believe that happened for a reason, for them to be snatched away when he was only a child for no good reason. Did Eren honestly believe his mother died for a reason? He couldn't be sure.

happens for a reason... even if you don't know what that reason is. I've kind of always been a strong believer of that because if some things may not have happened then everything could be totally different. Like if I never played soccer and instead played baseball, I might not be here. Or if I never decided to try and move on and live life like my mom wanted, I could still be cooped up moping, even after all these years." He lifted a shoulder in a limp shrug. "But you know, to each their own I suppose. It's always been a life motto of mine. 

"I suppose... My parents never said anything like that to me, biological or adopted. My adopted parents tried to help me cope with outside distractions-piano, cello, martial arts. Plus, they had the money to send me to do all of those things." He shrugged, but somehow that thought wriggled on the edge of his mind: Everything happens for a reason.

He smiled at the waiter as he handed Levi their check, he still felt bad that he forgot his wallet, leaving Levi to pay for everything but it seemed like Levi was pretty keen on paying for everything himself. They boxed up their food, waving at the hosts standing at the front as they made their way to Levi's car.

"Yeah, we were never really well off, my dad was a doctor, but not a very big one at that and my mom had a couple jobs and I did yard work to earn some money to but we were a pretty happy family. Things were okay and we had many good times. High school was just the hardest for me but it also made me stronger, as a person that is. Soccer was kind of my distraction rather than playing an instrument as you did and it seemed to have paid off." He looked over at Levi for a moment before speaking. "You should really play something for me sometime. I would really love to hear it."

Levi smiled a little bit as he listened to Eren, he loved to hear the other man talk and to listen to the stories he had to tell. "How about... this weekend? I usually spend a couple of hours on Saturdays in one of the music rooms playing on one of their pianos. I can text you when I'm heading over there?" His heart raced at the thought of playing for Eren. It was very rare he played with anyone around.

"Is Sunday good? I had already told Jean that I would go to their soccer game on Saturday, or if you're going we could meet up before and then head over to the game. Usually he and I go out and get pizza or an ice cream or something to celebrate, even if they loose. Sometimes a couple of our friends join us." He reached up and rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly at the fact that he was bringing up Jean when it was obvious there was some tension between the two of them.

"I'll be at the game too. I go to most of Farlan's games. If you want we can meet up beforehand, but it's alright if you don't." He moved forward to open the passenger door for Eren, closing it as he slid in and slipping to the driver's seat. Naturally, Jean always got in the way of everything and Levi hated it.

"Yeah. That works out perfectly then. I would love to meet up. I'm really excited to hear you play." He hadn't heard someone play the piano for him since high school, a few months before his mother had died. He still played that song sometimes to help put him to sleep on nights when he couldn't.

"Any song requests?" Levi started the car and pulled out of the parking lot. He was nervous to let Eren hear him. After all, he didn't just play for anyone. He'd been told his voice was decent, but as far as he knew he could sound like total shit. Then again, he doubted that his voice trainer would lie to him about something like that.

"Whatever you like playing the most. I'm sure that anything that you play will sounds amazing so I don't need to worry." The car ride was silent, but Eren liked it nonetheless. It was a comfortable silence between them, even when Levi had decided to walk Eren to his dorm again.

"Thanks Levi, for tonight. I had a nice time, and my nose doesn't feel too bad." He laughed a little.

A wave of guilt washed over Levi at the reminder. "Oh, uh, sorry about that. Make sure you ice it when you get inside. But... I had a good time too. Thanks... for agreeing to tonight." He ran a pale hand through his dark locks, glancing away for a moment before looking back at Eren.

"Soo... Saturday?"

"It's okay, don't worry about it. And yeah, Saturday. Definitely. I don't have any classes so any time before the game is good with me. You can just text me whatever time you think is good, I don't really mind at all." Eren found it a bit amusing how awkward Levi could be, it was kind of endearing if he was honest.

"Saturday. I'll text you." They reached Eren's room and Levi smiled, running his hand through his hair yet again.

"Night, Eren." A small smile made an appearance on his features.

Even though Eren told him he'd enjoyed their time, he couldn't help feeling insecure and a little dubious. Even if he had enjoyed it, that didn't mean he thought of their date the same way as Levi, even though Eren was well aware of how the raven haired man felt. But he still couldn't help the doubts swirling through his mind.

Eren fidgeted for a moment before stepping forward and giving Levi a brief hug and stepping back to where he once was. "See you later Levi." He gave a small waved before stepping into his dorm with a small smile, careful not to wake Marco who had passed out on his bed surrounded by four different kinds of books.

Seemed like he had the better night of the two of them, not that he was complaining.

Levi's breath caught in his throat at Eren's sudden hug, surprised by the action. He did not move for several long moments after, just staring at Eren's door for a few moments as he processed it. Yeah, he was probably overreacting to a hug but it had felt... nice. Usually he rejected forms of affection such as hugs, but Eren's had made him speechless.

Finally, he sucked in a large breath of air, running his hand through his hair again as if it were habit, and turning to head back to his car.