Work Text:
AdamlikesLevines has joined the chat room
Leviheichou is typing…
9:00PM
Leviheichou: Good evening, loser
AdamlikesLevines: Ah the infamous queen is on. how was your day?
Leviheichou: Boring. Work was tedious but I thought of you
Leviheichou: and threw up
AdamlikesLevines: Glad I could make that big of an impact on your life
Leviheichou: I told my coworkers I had brat poisoning
AdamlikesLevines: h8 u 2
Leviheichou is calling…
“You don’t mean it.”
Lips pulled up in a small grin, voice low, “Absolutely, Levi. You’re the bane of my existence. The fuel to my anger. I hate you more than I hate reality TV.”
“Lying isn’t good for the soul.”
“Like your one to talk, at your age your soul has probably been in Hell ever since you were born. I’m surprised you haven’t found white hairs in your hair and wrinkles in the wrong places.”
“… I’m not that old. Tch, only three years older than you! And at least I’ve gotten laid before.”
“Hey! I’ll have you know that many people have asked me for a quickie but as the true saint in this relationship, I denied them so that my virtue could be saved for my one true love.”
“Are you shitting me? I don’t believe a word of that pile of shit.”
A sigh. “Alright well, considering our circumstances, it’s not that bad that I’m a virgin, right?”
“It just makes breaking you in when we meet all the more while.”
Green eyes swam with regret, mouth turning down as he replied with forced enthusiasm that he had to go shower (‘Try not to jerk off at the thought of me nude!’).
Leviheichou is typing…
9:30 PM
Leviheichou: You always end the call when I mention meeting.
Leviheichou: It’s suspicious.
Leviheichou: You know we have to meet, right? It’s not like we haven’t sent pictures of what we look like
Leviheichou: What are you afraid of?
Leviheichou: I love you, shit stack. Whatever you’re hiding, I’ll accept you
10:00PM
Leviheichou: I’ll talk to you tomorrow, Adam. Try not to drown in the bathtub
Leviheichou has left the chat room
The user known as AdamlikesLevines was leaning against the shower wall, skin pruned from standing under the shower of lukewarm water that made his brown hair stick to his forehead. Images of his lover flashed through his mind, the pictures that he saved on his phone, burned into his mind until he knew every inch of his lover’s face, even if it was a little pixelated.
Fear coursed through his body when he finally saw the messages his lover had sent him, his face paling as the words registered. A soft curse escaped his lips and he rubbed his tired face, water droplets falling from his brown hair and onto his bare chest.
Eren Jaeger wished he hadn’t signed up for the dating website that connected Levi and him. He wished that he hadn’t jokingly put Adam Sanchez as his name and his age as twenty-one, four years older than his true age.
A couple of months ago, he would have scoffed at the idea that he would resort to a dating site to find his one and only. Eren Jaeger doesn’t need anyone to be happy! He didn’t know what had possessed him to follow the instructions on the TV one lonely night and make an account for the handsome -and totally not Eren Jaeger- Adam Sanchez. Three days later he had received a friend invite from Leviheichou and then everything spiraled out of the seventeen year old’s control.
Now months later, the twenty-four year old and the teen were dating, their relationship as weird as any other that would start from a dating site. Eren had hoped that Levi would have lost interest, but now he found himself glad to have met him, even if it was with a false name and age.
He loved the older man.
Leviheichou has joined the chat room
Leviheichou is typing…
7:00PM
Leviheichou: Are you mad at me? You won’t answer your texts.
Leviheichou: Look, I understand you’re a busy college student, but you can’t push your boyfriend off to the side when it’s convenient, especially since I can’t come over there and beat your ass.
AdamlikesLevines: Ah no I’m not mad, just super busy. Srry bout that
Leviheichou: Okay. As long as you’re not ignoring me on purpose. Leviheichou: So are we going to talk about meeting up, or are you going to conveniently log off again? You’re choice but keep in mind that our three month anniversary is coming up and all I want is to see you.
AdamlikesLevines: I just dk what my schedule is going to be like in the future…
Leviheichou: Please, Adam.
AdamlikesLevines: I’ll think about it, I’m just uncomfortable.
AdamlikesLevines: I don’t want you to hate me
Leviheichou: What’s to hate? I’ve been putting up with you for a couple months, I think I’d have ran away by now if I didn’t like you.
AdamlikesLevines: Idk Leviheichou: Hurry up and get back to me, I really want to see you
11:00AM
AdamlikesLevines is typing…
AdamlikesLevines: How bout March 30th?
Leviheichou: Isn’t that your birthday?
Leviheichou is typing…
Leviheichou: I’ll text you where we’ll meet
Leviheichou: I love you
Nerves struck a forlorn song inside Eren’s stomach and he anxiously clenched his hands into fists, eyes wandering around the café he was seated in. The warm smell of coffee and pastries filling the air almost worked to sooth the young teen down; almost.
Today was March 30th. His birthday.
Today was the day he turned eighteen. He would meet Levi; the man he had been dating and, for lack of a better word, cat fishing for the past couple months and the truth would come out. Dark bags sat under his eyes from the lack of sleep he had gotten the previous night, too caught up in ‘what if’s and the like.
The bell chimed and Eren tensed, eyes glued to the entrance more out of fear than excitement but he slowly relaxed as a young girl came into view, her cheeks red with youth. Letting out a sigh, he sipped at his hot chocolate and checked the time on his phone, the mug warming up his chilled hands. Taking note that it was four minutes until the time they were supposed to meet, Eren leaned back against the chair, leaving his cell phone on top of the table.
That morning Eren had woken up and showered, sprayed some cologne on and dressed in a sophisticated (as sophisticated as a seventeen would own) shirt, black jacket, and dark jeans, hoping that Levi would at least not ask about his real age once he saw Eren. His boots didn’t help him to look older.
Not that it mattered, since Levi would take one look at him and know what was up.
The bell rung again and Eren was too caught up in his hot chocolate and thoughts in front of him to realize that the older man had stepped inside, dark eyes scanning the café for a person who wasn’t there. A snort of irritation came from the back of the man’s throat at not having spotted the other man, making the decision to call him.
Lifting his eyes up at the sound, Eren froze, mouth limp as his eyes took in his lover of three months, not surprised by his appearance but by his stature. Levi has never told him he was short.
Then again, Eren hadn’t told Levi a lot of things.
Still frozen, Eren watched as Levi pulled an IPhone out of his jeans pocket, his thin fingers tapping away at the screen as he seemed to press a button before locking it and holding the phone at his side.
To Eren’s horror, his phone vibrated with the notification of a new and dark eyes found his and they narrowed, calculating him as Levi’s hands unlocked his phone and pressed another button, holding the phone up to his ear.
A blush wormed its way onto Eren’s cheek and he slouched in his seat as the offensive phone buzzed on top of the table, confirming Levi’s suspicions. Mortified at having been caught in such a manor, Eren straightened his back, eyebrows clumping together in resolve as Levi approached him.
He might have been a chicken, but he sure as hell wasn’t a hen.
A pale hand slammed onto the tabletop, Levi leaning close to Eren, body radiating fury, “You don’t look like the pictures Adam Sanchez sent me.”
Swallowing thickly, Eren kept his eyes locked with Levi’s cold ones, determined to not look away not matter how much he wanted too. “N-No.”
Those hard eyes narrowed even more and his lips curled, “But you sure do sound like him. Let me guess, you’re ‘Adam Sanchez?’”
“Levi, look I-“
“Shut the fuck up right now, you fucker.”
Snapping his mouth closed with a click, Eren dropped his gaze to the table, teeth worrying his bottom lip.
The chair across from him screeched as it slid along the floor, Levi sitting down on it as he placed his elbows on the table and tented his fingers in front of him. “Now I understand.” His voice was cold, like a whip against Eren’s side and he didn’t hold back the flinch as his face burned with the glare Levi was giving him.
“I didn’t mean-“
“You didn’t mean to what? Mr...?”
“Eren,” A sigh escaped Eren’s lips and he hoped like hell this was all a dream; that he wasn’t sitting with the man he loved who probably hated him now and wanted nothing to do with him. “Levi, I swear I didn’t mean for this to happen, I signed up on that site as a joke and-“
“So what you’re meaning to tell me is that you never took any of this seriously and that it’s all been a joke to you from the very beginning.”
Eren took in a sharp breath, eyes wide as he stared at Levi’s passive face. This wasn’t what he remembered; the Levi in the pictures was always smiling. The Levi that he knew always sounded happy to talk when Eren called at the butt crack of dawn.
His expression and tone of voice made Eren feel that Levi would have rather been anywhere else but sitting across from Eren.
It hurt Eren more than it should have been allowed to hurt.
“N-No, I-“
“Look… Eren. I don’t know who you are. Obviously you’re the man… boy who I’ve been dating for the past couple of months. I fell in love with Adam Sanchez, not Eren the prepubescent shit stain.”
Eren’s eyes started to tear up and he cursed himself for being so weak, this is what he had expected coming to this café. But it hurt to hear that the man he loved didn’t love him but instead loved the man he had pretended to be.
“I know and I’m sor-“
“If you say sorry, I will reach over there and rip your throat out, do you hear me? I don’t want your pity or your false apologies. You’re the one who chose to make a fake account. You’re the one who chose to string me along until I fell in love with Adam Sanchez, who conveniently was you all along. Do you get some kind of sick kick out of all of this? Are you turned on by the fact that you’ve managed to ruin my life just because you ‘were joking’ when you made a profile? I don’t know what worl-“
“Let me talk, dammit!” Eren slammed his hand on the table, breathing hard as Levi paused, mouth closed as he stared at the teen in front of him. Tears pooled at Eren’s eyes but he ignored them, too enraged to care about looking pathetic. “Just listen for a fucking minute, alright? Can you do that?”
Nodding mutely, Levi waved for him to continue.
Here it is. Eren took a deep breath, eyes closing as he tried to calm his raging heart. Opening his eyes, his gaze never strayed from Levi’s, “I was lonely. That’s why I made the account,” Eren held up a hand to silence the older man before he argued and Levi snapped his mouth closed, eyes blazing furiously. “I know you don’t want to hear it but I’m sorry for keeping my identity from you. I never thought anyone would take an interest in me-“
“You mean Adam.”
“R-Right. I didn’t think anyone would take an interest in Adam that quickly. But I am not sorry for having met you,” Eren’s leg jiggled restlessly underneath the table as he continued, “You probably won’t believe me but these past few months have been the best of my life. I’ve never met another person who connected with me like you did, especially since we never saw each other face to face.”
“Well now I know why.”
Eren winced at the muttered comment but he narrowed his eyes in a glare as he continued, “What I’m trying to say is, is that everything I said was real. You know me, not Adam Sanchez. The only thing I lied about was my looks and my name, that’s it.”
There was a pregnant pause as Levi scrutinized the boy in front of him, his face unmoving as they sat in silence. Leaning back, Levi crossed his arms in front of him, voice soft as he continued to watch Eren, “Let me just ask you one thing.”
Eren’s stomach lurched painfully and he hugged himself to try and keep it together, a bad feeling nagging at him.
“How old are you.”
Green eyes adverted from silver ones and Levi scoffed, his head shaking as he tilted his head back to look at the ceiling. “I can’t fucking believe this. I bet you’re not even in high school yet. Fuck me, this would happen. No wonder you’re a virgin! Shit, I was planning on doing shit with you tonight, I even reserved a hotel room for us! Fuck!”
Breathing ragged, Eren fought to keep calm as a waves of tears tried to push past his throat, making his throat burn with the effort of keeping them at bay. A hotel room?
Eren really screwed up.
“I’m eighteen, I’ll be graduating in June, Levi. And it’s not like we did anything illegal.”
Furious eyes glared at Eren and Levi leaned closer to him from across the table, voice in a near-whisper, “That doesn’t matter! I’m six years older than you! You fucking lied to me when I told you everything! I even said I loved you, for fuck’s sake!”
A frown formed on Eren’s lips and he furrowed his eyebrows, his voice breaking the tense silence that had followed Levi’s angry words, “You also said you would accept me.”
Stopping short, Levi’s words clogged in his throat as he finally took in the boy who sat across from him. What could have been soft brunette hair was limp and greyish looking, green eyes that were duller than normal stared down as his hands, and thicker lips than Levi’s were pulled down in a frown.
Shit. He was just a kid.
Running a hand through his hair, Levi shook his head, all the anger leaving him in one breath, “Listen kid, I can’t accept someone who I don’t even know.”
Determined eyes met his and he schooled his expression into stoicism as the thought, cute, passed through his mind. Was he allowed to say this kid was cute? Technically, wasn’t he in a relationship with Eren since Adam wasn’t real?
“Then let’s get to know one another again, for real this time. No more lies. You’re all I’ve got, Levi, I need you in my life.”
Before he could finish, Levi was already shaking his head, “Not going to happen. I can’t trust you. I’m sorry Eren, but after this, we will not be talking again.”
Defeat crossed Eren’s features and he slouched in his seat, lips trembling with suppressed tears that made Levi want to stroke his cheek and cuddle him close to his chest. “But I love you, Levi.”
Fuck.
A great sigh escaped the older man’s lips and he rubbed a hand across his face, hoping for the life of him that this could all be over and he could be sitting at home while giving in to the pain that was breaking his heart. “Eren…”
Eren knew. He knew it was a long shot, that Levi would believe his words. That he would believe the one thing that Eren meant with all of his being.
Scrubbing furiously at his eyes, Eren pushed his chair back from the table, eyes glued to the ground as he stood up on shaking legs. Swallowing past the lump in his throat, he wordlessly turned to leave, the forgotten hot chocolate left on the table with Levi. Like leaving that cup of lukewarm hot chocolate was parallel to their relationship being left behind. The bell chimed as he opened the door.
This was it. Eren would never see Levi again.
And his heart wanted nothing more than to run back and beg for forgiveness.
Spring air blew his bangs into his face but his mind was too clouded with thoughts to move them out of the way. Eren told himself that he shouldn’t have even made the stupid profile to begin with, he didn’t deserve Levi. Levi deserved Adam Sanchez. And for a moment, Eren was jealous of the imaginary man for holding Levi's affections in his grasp. So badly did he want to be loved and cherished by the older man, to hold him in his arms and to kiss him goodnight.
But Levi deserved better. He deserved a guy who would care for him and love him without fear of consequences or judgment. Without lies.
“Eren!”
Heart beating loudly against his ribcage, he looked behind him as the jogging figure came into view, Levi’s cheeks red with the exertion of exercise. “Eren…” he huffed out, hands on his knees, “You can’t just… leave without saying goodbye.”
Shocked, Eren opened his mouth to reply, “I don’t underst-“
Warm hands grabbed the side of his face, breath that smelled like mint and cigarette flooded his senses and Eren felt warm lips touch his in a gentle kiss. By instinct, or something like that, Eren raised a hand and grabbed onto Levi’s wrist, his eyelashes fluttering as the shorter man pulled away, steel eyes softening.
“I don’t want to lose you, even if I hate you right now for making me fall in love with a fake man. You were right, I did say I would accept you and that’s what I’m going to do. I just need some time to figure my feelings out and so that I don’t strangle you to death.”
Feeling short of breath, Eren stared at Levi with wide eyes, his face still encased between the older man’s hands. He thought he was dreaming but the tingling in his lips told him otherwise. Was it possible for Eren to be forgiven? He hoped.
“Unless… unless you don’t want too,” taking his silence for rejection, Levi started to pull his hands from Eren’s face, voice laced with uncertainty and embarrassment clouding his eyes.
Squeezing Levi’s wrist, Eren stepped closer, face looming over his as he breathed a sigh of relief, “I won’t screw up this time. I promise, Levy.”
“Good.”
He rubbed his nose against the shorter man’s, eyes closed in content as his heart beat fought to get out of its confinement. His blood raced through his veins as happiness wormed through him, butterflies swimming in his stomach at the thought of Levi’s and his future together. He had screwed up. But he couldn’t have been happier.
Leviheichou has joined the chat room
Leviheichou is typing...
Leviheichou: Wanna meet and celebrate your birthday?
Titandick: Uhhh my bday was two weeks ago
Leviheichou: I know but I thought we could do it over again, since you were a fuckface and now we're better
Titandick: ....
Titandick: How rude.
Titandick: only if you buy me dinner and hold my hand
Leviheichou: Deal.
Leviheichou: I'll pick you up at eight
Titandick: Ily Levy
Leviheichou: I love you too, brat