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"When do I get to meet him!?"
"When you can sit down and not jump around like a fucking animal." Levi growled over their persistent whining. He ran his fingers across the keys on the keyboard in his lounge room.
"Pleaseee! Come on, Erwin wants to meet him toooo!" Levi grunted uninterested, turning his attention to his best friend, who was lifting a steaming latte to his lips.
"We've heard nothing but good things about the kid," the broad blond-haired man shrugged.
"That's because he's nothing short of amazing," the raven breathed out as he accidently pressed a key he hadn't meant to, "fuck."
"Aww! Our cute wittwe Wevi is already messing up because of him!" Hanji coo'd, clasping their hands together and grinning widely at the glare they received from the short man.
Levi had been texting Eren for about a month now. They'd had lots more coffee/tea meet ups, but not nearly enough to satisfy his curiosity over the younger male. Eren was remarkable. Levi had only known the guy for a month, and yet even the shortest texts of 'hi' would brighten his day (which he usually needed after spending hours with all the little shits in his classes).
The room was quiet, the only thing to be heard was the sound of Levi's practicing. It was actually kind of unsettling that Hanji had remained silent for this long.
"Is he coming to your gig?" Erwin asked as he set his mug down on Levi's coffee table. Levi paused in his playing. His hands froze hovering over the keys, his fingers sprawled, ready to play the next note.
"Well..." Levi hadn't really thought about inviting Eren. He wanted... he wanted the first time he played for him to be special. Eren was special. There's nothing special about Levi being on a shitty stage in the middle of a run-down pub with questionable cleanliness. He didn't want Eren to be just another stranger in the crowd, watching him play some shit pop song to appease the crowd. "I haven't invited him..." Levi decided to answer. He didn't want to share his sappy feelings with them, that would just be setting himself up for nonstop teasing from a certain agendered four-eyes.
"What!" Hanji jumped up, racing towards the raven. They grabbed his shoulder and shook him roughly, causing the man to drop his hands to the keys in an attempt to steady himself. The keyboard let out a string of distasteful sounds, causing the raven to grit his teeth. "He'd love to hear you play! Leviiii how could you??"
"Will you fuck off?" He tore their hands off in one fluent movement and turned himself to face his friends. He hadn't told them that Eren was deaf. He'd known his friends for a long, long time. He knew how they'd react. It wouldn't be a bad reaction, he knew that for sure. Neither were in the nature of judging someone for something like that, but that didn't mean it wouldn't be weird.
When he told them, Eren would instantly be marked as the deaf one. They wouldn't really see past it, and get to know his personality, they'd see disabled. He could already see Erwin being the fucking saint he was and mothering the boy, and Hanji would be all over that with her stupid fucking science questions.
He wanted them to get to know Eren for who he was, the brilliant bright-eyed person he was. Not look at the boy and feel sorry for him because he couldn't hear.
"He wouldn't be up for it." Levi hummed out, crossing his arms across his chest.
"Sure he wouldn't," Erwin scoffed with a stupid Captain America smirk. The smirk pissed Levi off.
"He wouldn't," the raven ground out.
"Let's see then," Erwin suggested, "text him. Invite him to come watch. If he declines, you were right." Levi was seething at the smug bastard. He knew Eren would jump at the opportunity. Hanji was sporting a giant grin and their eyes were shining with excitement. Christ, what had he gotten himself into.
"Fine." Levi hissed, he uncrossed his arms and reached into his jeans pocket and extracted his phone. He unlocked it with his very intricate password (You can guess why he'd need that.) He scowled lightly as he tapped Eren's name, which was accompanied by a picture the brat had taken of himself when the raven had left his phone on the table by accident while using the restroom during one of their little 'dates'.
Levi 6:18p.m.
Hey, I have this little performance at some rundown pub downtown. It's not worth coming to, but it's open to the public if you want to come.
Levi flashed the device screen to his two spectators quickly. Just enough time for them to see he actually did it, but not enough time so they could read what it said. Levi hoped, he prayed the brat would pick up on his subtle hints, but that shattered when the boy responded.
Eren 6:20p.m.
I'D LOVE TOO! :D
The raven released a tired breath, then face palmed with a groan. Hanji squealed, practically bouncing around the room. Erwin lifted his latte once again, and raised it to his mouth, but before he drank, he spoke.
"So, we'll see him there then?" Erwin flashed a toothy grin, to which Levi flashed his middle finger.
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"Arminn!" Eren yelled, he bounced from his bedroom and into the main living space of their shared dorm. The blonde boy was at the toaster oven, cooking what looked like a pizza pop.
"What?" The blonde turned and leaned against the counter, making sure Eren had a clear view of his lips.
"You'll never believe what just happened!" Eren flopped onto the couch, bouncing excitedly as he waited for his friend to join him.
"Well, you're giddy." the blonde smiled fondly, "anything to do with Levi?" Eren watched as Armin turned towards the toaster oven, he assumed it had beeped. Armin took his food out and moved across the open space to sit beside Eren on the couch.
The little dorm was arguably tiny and rundown, but it was perfect for the two boys. It was a main living/dining/kitchen area with two bedrooms and a bathroom connecting out. The bedrooms were a decent size and the main living space was spacious enough to accommodate all of their friends perfectly. The bathroom was kind of small, and there was hardly enough room for both to brush their teeth together comfortably, but beggars can't be choosers.
This dorm was slightly bigger than others as it was one of the rooms that were made for those with disabilities. It was merely some stupid flashing lights system for if the smoke alarms were going off and a series of blinking lights throughout the place for whenever the doorbell went off. They'd set it up specifically for Eren after his mother had practically threatened them with how unsafe the room had been for him before, damn could Carla Jaeger be scary when she needed too. Eren's disability had its perks.
"He's finally invited me to come see him play! Isn't that great?"
"That's awesome!" Armin agreed, taking a tiny bite, then blowing on the pizza pop. "What did he say?"
Eren whipped out his phone and proudly showed his friend. The blonde studied the text for a second, then set his pizza pop on the coffee table.
"Don't you think that's going to be a little... weird?" Armin worded it carefully.
"Why?" Eren tilted his head.
"You can't hear Eren. You probably won't be able to feel the vibrations from the audience." The blonde reminded. Armin was never one to point out when Eren couldn't do something. But he had a point. It would be worth going to just see Levi play... but seeing and not being able to feel or see the raven's skillful fingers actually create the vibrations would just make him sad.
Maybe it was best if he didn't go...
Guess Eren signed. He always started to sign when his emotions switched too fast. It was an easy give away- at least according to his friends and family. His voice was very expressive apparently. If he couldn't hear his tone, he wouldn't know if he was giving too much away or not.
No sad Armin signed. The blonde gave his friend a small smile and offered some of his pizza pop. Eren declined with a shake of his head, then waved the blonde off in a simple goodbye.
Eren retreated to his room with a heavy sigh.
Eren 7:03p.m.
Can I have a rain check? Just not feeling up to it. :c
Levi 7:04p.m.
What's up? Are you okay?
Eren 7:06p.m
I'm fine. I really want to come. I just can't. I'm sorry.
Levi 7:07p.m
Eren. Seriously. What's going on? You were so excited.
Eren 7:11p.m
Can we get coffee?
Levi 7:12p.m.
Anytime. Maria's Café?
Eren 7:12p.m
Meet you there.
Eren was quick to pull on a blue sweater his mom had packed when he wasn't looking. It was usually chilly at this time of night. He pulled on his shoes and made his way out of his room.
"I'm going to meet up with Levi. Don't wait up." Eren looked towards Armin for any sort of acknowledgement to which he received a smile and the sign for careful. Eren nodded with a small smile and left out the door.
A pleasant breeze mussed Eren's mess of hair gently, and a satisfied shiver coursed through his body. Eren was already thinking about a nice cup of hot cocoa, with whipped cream and a sprinkle of shaved chocolate. When Eren finally reached the little café, he could already see Levi sitting at their usual table. Just the sight of the grouchy looking pianist made his heart speed up.
The little bell above the door rattled and a little wave of vibration rained down. Eren caught Levi's eyes as the raven looked up at the door. A small smile graced Levi's lips, and a larger one filled Eren's own face.
"Hi," Eren greeted, moving towards Levi. There, he noticed the raven had two cups. His usual tea, and a cocoa with whipped cream. Eren gaped at this. Levi looked down at the drinks then back to Eren.
His hand reached to rub the back of his neck as he spoke, "I guessed your drink. I didn't think you'd want an iced coffee this late."
"No, I mean. No, I wouldn't want an iced coffee. You're right." Eren smiled, "I was just thinking of getting that on my walk here."
Levi's lips formed into an 'o' shape, but Eren was pretty sure he hadn't uttered the word. Eren sat himself opposite to Levi, pulling the cocoa towards him and taking a sip. It was perfect drinking temperature, making Eren wonder how long Levi had been waiting for him.
"How long have you been waiting?" He questioned.
"Not long, just after you texted. I got Erwin to drop me off on his way home." Levi informed. Eren had heard bits and pieces about Erwin and Hanji, as well as a few other of Levi's friends. He wasn't sure what to think of them. Levi spoke fondly of them one minute, then complained about them the next. Erwin was often Captain America one second, then a colossal asshole the next. And Hanji... well... Hanji was colourful, according to what Levi had told him.
"So, what's up?" Levi asked as he sipped his tea. Eren looked down at his cup for a second as he messed with the coffee cup sleeve on his cup. When he looked back up, Levi was staring at him with a patient facial expression. Eren calmed slightly. Levi was very calming company.
"I was just thinking... and I thought it wouldn't be such a good idea for me to go." Eren said quietly. Levi tilted his head at how emotional Eren sounded over this.
"Why not?" Levi tilted his head. His hands were wrapped around his to-go cup, but the cup was resting on the table.
"Armin and I were talking... and he mentioned how I wouldn't be able to really feel the vibrations from the audience." Eren mumbled softly, eyes downcast as he admitted that his deafness was affecting yet another important thing in his life. He couldn't bring himself to look up again.
He gasped lightly as he felt gentle fingers under his chin that lifted his head. Levi studied Eren, focusing on his facial features. Levi hadn't thought of how Eren must've felt in this situation. "I didn't want that to be the first performance you saw either... come on." Levi stood up, taking Eren's hand and pulling him up as well.
"Where are we going?" Eren asked, confused. The brunet grabbed his hot chocolate with the hand Levi wasn't holding and fell into step behind the shorter man. Eren's question was left unanswered, or at least no answer that he could see or hear. Levi led the way, his thumb lightly brushing across the top of Eren's hand occasionally as he led the boy somewhere.
Confusion intensified as Levi led Eren towards the university, and then into an unknown building on the university grounds.
"Wher-" his voice faltered as Levi paused to type in a number code on one of the door's lock systems. The door lock clicked open as Levi gripped the handle and twisted it open. Eren gazed around the darkened room and smiled lightly when figuring out where they were.
Levi had brought him to the music room.
The raven-haired man switched the lights on and continued leading Eren. Across the room, a beautiful grand piano sat waiting. Levi led Eren up the stairs to it, then took a seat on half of the bench in front of it. He patted the seat beside him and Eren hesitantly moved to sit beside him. It wasn't a large bench, just big enough to accommodate both.
"I didn't want my first time playing for you to be like in front of all those strangers," Levi shrugged lightly, his head was turned so Eren could make out everything he was saying. "Erwin and Hanji peer pressured me into inviting you."
Now, Levi wasn't an anxious person, well no more than the next, anyways. Never in his life had he had stage fright. But this, this right now. Eren sat beside him. Watching him closely. This was making him anxious. He was nervous, his heart fluttering and he didn't know why. Eren had this cute little excited smile and Levi felt like he couldn't get enough of it. His hands shook lightly in his lap and he thought about what he could play.
It was one of his mother's favorite songs. She'd sing it to him all the time. It was one of the songs he'd learned to play for her. It seemed like the perfect song for Eren. Levi smiled fondly as he lined his fingers up to start. Eren watched his fingers line up and looked towards Levi's face quickly before looking back to his hands.
Can't Help Falling in Love by Elvis Presley
Don't ask why Levi though it was perfect for Eren, he didn't have an answer. It just was.
Levi's fingers lined up perfectly to each note of the memorized song. It had been a while since he'd played it, but the memory was strong.
Levi turned his head slightly, having been absorbed in the song, he hadn't taken notice of Eren. The brunet was leaned back a little, his eyes were closed. The tips of his fingers were just slightly touching the black base of the instrument below the keys and a small smile curled at his lips. He looked stunning.
As Levi played, the more the song started to make sense. This was different then playing it for his mother. The lyrics were actually applying to him. He'd known Eren for just over a month now, but the brat what wormed his way past Levi's barriers.
When the song finished, Eren's smile brightened, and his eyes fluttered open.
"That was beautiful," he grinned, "I'm happy you did this for me."
"I'm glad you like it." Levi cleared his throat, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips.
"That song," Eren hummed, "I've heard it before."
"Aha, yes, it was my mother's favorite song. I thought you'd like it," it's how I feel about you.
"I did, it was lovely." Eren beamed. He knew the song. He knew the words, and he wondered why Levi had chosen to play it for him. He also wondered why Levi hadn't told him the title of the song. He couldn't help but wish it held some kind of underlying message. His heart beat sped up at the thought of an underlying message.
Levi returned to messing about with the keys, playing anything that came to mind, to keep his mind off of Eren. Eren decided to be bold and set his head against Levi's shoulder. The raven didn't seem to mind as he threw himself into playing another song of less meaning. Eren watched Levi's fingers flutter around the keys, creating the vibrations that probably sounded amazing.
"Levi," he whispered. The raven turned his head to look at the boy resting on his shoulder. Eren tilted his head to look at him better as well but remained rested on his shoulder.
"I can't help falling in love with you." Eren then looked back to where Levi's hands had paused, resting against a couple keys.
Levi stared at the boy for a second. Levi lightly tapped his finger against the white keys as he stared towards the younger man. He wasn't quite sure what had just happened. Eren had known the song? Or... was he just saying that? Levi continues the smooth song, his fingers pressing lightly as he lost himself to music and thought. With a quick glance at Eren, just to make sure the brunet wasn't looking, the raven spoke to him as if he could hear-
"I can't help falling in love with you either."