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If Levi had to be honest, he wanted to try them out. He told everybody that he thought it was silly, and that it was possible he did not want a soulmate to love. Truthfully, he wanted to know who was on the other line, who drew the short end of the stick.
He opened up the box to reveal a plain grey pair of headphones. The muffs were even grey. He couldn’t help but wonder, ‘how do people not get these mixed up with regular headphones?’
Maybe because there was no wire to plug into your phone, or no way to turn on Bluetooth. Or maybe because the only sound that came out of them would be what his soulmate heard.
Levi pursed his lips. Would he really hear anything? It was possible he didn’t even have a soulmate; he had heard stories of people who were soulmateless. He was very much prepared to not hear anything, not even snores if his soulmate was asleep. That what’s he kept telling himself. He was prepared. He was ready. He was okay.
As he lifted up the headphones to slip over his ears, he didn’t even catch himself taking a deep breath. He was ready, he told himself again.
He listened for a minute, concentrating harder than he’d admit. He even closed his eyes like that would help him.
Three more minutes passed by and he heard nothing. He slipped off the headphones and crawled into bed, ignoring the tears sliding down his cheeks.
---
“Happy birthday!”
Eren jumped as he was greeted with cheers from his friends as he entered his front door.
“Whoa! What’s this about?” He grinned, shutting the door behind him, a bookstore bag in hand. “Is this why you guys sent me on a wild goose chase for Mikasa’s book? So you could throw me a surprise party?”
A blond boy wrestled his way to the front and beamed at his best friend. “Of course!”
Eren’s sister appeared beside Armin, her hair pulled back in a ponytail to reveal a serious expression. “Did you get my book?”
Eren grinned even wider as he slipped said book out of the bag, holding it out to Mikasa.
“Thank you.” She took it from him and leaned in to kiss his cheek. “And happy birthday, Eren.”
He wound up being shoved towards the kitchen where there was a chocolate cake, the ‘17’ candles in the middle already lit.
“Aww, guys! My favorite! You shouldn’t have.”
Jean stepped up beside him and punched his arm. “Shut up, dork, and make a wish.”
Eren winked at him and did as told, stepping up to the massive cake and blowing out the candles with all his might. Everyone clapped like it was some great big victory to blow out two candles, and Eren didn’t complain.
Mikasa, because she’s the only responsible one, began cutting the cake and serving slices on paper plates that had Hello Kitty on them. Eren, of course, was served the biggest slice.
“So,” Jean started, bumping his elbow into Eren’s arm, which caused him to almost drop his plate. “Ready for your big moment?”
“What are you talking about?” Eren asked, voice muffled by the cake in his mouth. Chocolate spit got on the ground.
“Your soulmate headphones, dude!” Jean threw an arm up in the arm. “God, you’re so stupid. How could you forget? I bet your soulmate is ugly as hell. Fuck! What if you didn’t have one!” He erupted into a laughing fit, thinking he was the funniest guy on the planet.
Eren blushed in embarrassment, shoveling another forkful of cake into his mouth. “Shut up, dude! I’m gonna have a soulmate, I know it. And they’re gonna be hot.”
“Sure.” Jean didn’t seem to believe him.
Eren shuffled away from him to chat with Armin for a while, until everyone was done with their treat. Then they gravitated to the living room, where everybody had placed a present for Eren.
He started with the small ones, unwrapping comics and keychains for his new car. Then he moved on to the bigger ones, which were equally as amazing as the smaller ones.
“Fuck, guys!” He exclaimed, grinning ear to ear. “Thank you so much! You guys are all really the best.” He stood up and they all clashed together for a group hug.
It was only then that his parents made an appearance, tiptoeing down the stairs with gentle smiles on their faces.
“Happy birthday, Eren,” they chorused, hugging him. Eren wasn’t even embarrassed. Everyone loved Carla and Grisha.
Carla stepped back to reveal a box, wrapped in golden paper. “Here, darling. You’re seventeen now. So…” she exchanged a glance with her husband. “Happy birthday.”
Eren’s eyes widened, excitement racing through his veins. He would’ve snatched the box out of her hands if it was anybody else. Instead, he thanked her and took it politely, plopping down on the floor right where he was. All the other seats were occupied.
He all but gracefully tore off the wrapping paper and popped off the lid of the box. Inside lay a pair of plain grey headphones. Eren has never been so excited in his life.
Everyone was silent, looking at him expectantly, so he put them on and listened.
Music was playing. He listened for a few seconds and figured out it was The Beetles. There seemed to be the faint sound of pencil scratching on paper, too.
Eren was ecstatic. He had a soulmate! He gently pulled off the headphones and shouted that out, his smile ready to split his face in half.
He wondered if his soulmate had their headphones yet. If so, how long had they been waiting? Eren started bouncing his leg, wishing there was a way to get his soulmate to put them on. Maybe if he made a loud enough sound, they’d hear?
He let those thoughts go as he hugged his friends one final time. Soon enough, they all headed home, congratulating Eren and wishing him a happy birthday once more.
—-
“You haven’t touched them since your birthday!”
Levi glared at his best friend, scowling. “Shut up, Hanji.”
They raised their hands in defense. “All I’m saying is that maybe they’ve had a birthday since then.”
He huffed, picking up the pace as he made his way through the school parking lot to his car.
“Just try them out one more time! For me!” Hanji called behind him.
Levi shut his car door a little harder than necessary, glaring out the windshield. Who was Hanji, telling him what to do about his soulmate? They knew him; it was incredibly unlikely he even had one! He sour and surly. Whatever power above them couldn’t have possibly found someone to pair him up with.
---
It was nearly June and nobody had tried to talk to him through the headphones. Maybe they never got their headphones? They could still let him know that they were there. Eren had very little patience, though. He supposed he could be patient for this.
He was just happy he even had a soulmate.
He listened every day. He learned that his soulmate was a boy in high school named Levi. He had a dark sense of humor and acted like he hated his friends, but Eren knew it was the opposite.
He was sick one Thursday, so he took the day off. Who gets sick in May? It was probably allergies, but his mom let him stay home.
He figured out that his soulmate- Levi -got out of school at 2pm. He had watched the clock all day, waiting for his lunch period and when he got out of school to listen through his headphones. That was when Levi spoke the most.
Eren heard the bell ringing at Levi’s school and the kids bustling out of the room. He laid back in his bed, eyes closed with a smile on his face.
Soon, he heard a conversation start.
“Levi!” A voice called. Hanji. Eren already knew his friends’ names.
“Hello, Hanji.” He could hear the eye roll in Levi’s voice. It made him smile just a little more.
“How’s it going? Ready for graduation?”
“You mean ready to get out of this hellhole? Yeah, I sure am,” Levi had replied.
Hanji squealed out their laughter in response.
“Spoke to your soulmate yet?”
Eren audibly gasped at that. Levi had his headphones! Why hadn’t he ever talked to Eren? Did he not want him?
A sigh escaped Levi’s lips. “Shut up, Hanji.”
“You haven’t touched them since your birthday!”
“Shut up, Hanji.”
So Levi did have his headphones, but he didn’t use them. Why?, Eren wondered.
Eren pursed his lips. Maybe Levi was older than him. Maybe he listened and waited to hear something from Eren, but Eren wasn’t old enough yet.
Dammit, how could he show Levi that he was there? He probably didn’t have his headphones with him- he’d have to wait until he got home.
He could tell Levi was upset he didn’t- or thought he didn’t -have a soulmate. He needed to let him know that he was there. He didn’t want Levi to feel alone anymore.
---
Levi didn’t know what to do. He didn’t have any homework, therefore nothing to occupy himself. He could play a video game or read, but he wasn’t in the mood.
He didn’t want to admit it, but his conversation with Hanji upset him. He didn’t like talking about the whole soulmate thing. Everyone around him was seventeen or eighteen now, so they all had their headphones. They all had their soulmates. Nobody asked Levi about his anymore- they all already knew he was soulmateless.
He always kept his headphones hidden away so he didn’t have to look at them, even though he was always thinking about them. Now, though, he had them on his nightstand.
He laid in bed, scrolling through social media in boredness. He wasn’t really paying attention to what he looked at, but at least it gave him something to do.
Nobody was home, and he wasn’t playing music like he did when he did homework, so it was dead silent in the house.
Only ten minutes into his scrolling session, he heard a loud, constant noise coming from his headphones. It was like someone was screaming into them, except this person was loud as fuck.
Curious, he put on the headphones and immediately flinched, cursing loudly.
“Jesus!” Levi yelled, pulling the headphones away. The screaming ceased. He put them back on.
“Hello?” He heard.
He couldn’t believe his ears. Someone was on the other end? Someone was seriously there?
Someone was his soulmate?
“Hello? Oh, god, please tell me you’re still there.”
Levi pursed his lips before responding. “Um… hi?”
A gasp sounded through the headphones and Levi jumped a little. He wasn’t used to this.
“Oh my god! Levi! You’re finally here!”
Finally? What was this guy talking about? And how did he know his name?
“Uh, Who is this?” He asked.
“Your soulmate, duh.” The person on the other end laughed. “My name is Eren. I’m… I’m your soulmate.”
Levi froze. This was real. This was happening. This wasn’t a joke, there was no way it could be a joke.
“How long have you been waiting for me?” he decided to ask.
“In twelve days it will be exactly two months.”
Two months. He had been waiting for two months.
He didn’t know what to say.
“I’ve been waiting since December.”
It went silent after that. Levi wasn’t even sure if Eren was breathing.
“Six months. Half a year.”
Silence.
“I’m sorry.”
Eren sounded like he was so upset with himself, like he was blaming himself for Levi’s inability to touch the headphones.
Levi didn’t want him to sound that way.
“It’s not your fault. I… I gave up. Quickly. Too quickly.” He couldn’t stop himself. He had kept these feelings bottled up for so long that they just tumbled out. “I didn’t believe that I had a soulmate, so I didn’t bother.”
“What makes you say that?”
The question caught Levi off guard.
“How long have you been listening to me?”
“In twelve days, it’ll be exactly two months.” He laughed at himself. Then his tone turned serious. “Since the end of March. I… couldn’t help myself. It probably seems creepy that I listened to you every day. You’re just… I don’t know, Levi, you’re wonderful. You’re really fucking funny, I like your voice, you’re so kind and considerate. You’re strong, too. This sounds weird, but I’ve listened to you cry before. But you got up the next morning and told some bullies to fuck off when they were making fun of your friend’s outfit. That part makes you strong, too. The standing up for your friend thing.”
“Shouldn’t you be paying attention in school?”
Truthfully, Levi was touched. He never thought those things about himself. He never considered himself to be wonderful, like this kid had said. It felt nice to hear it.
Eren laughed, a noise that sent tingles down Levi’s spine. “I bring my headphones to school.”
Levi couldn’t help but crack a small smile at that.
“Hey, where do you live?”
Levi blinked. Did Eren already want to meet him?
“Trost district.”
“Really?” His voice was full of excitement. “I’m in Shiganshina. Can I come see you tomorrow? I just got a car and I’d love to drive it and you’re only forty five minutes away,” Eren blabbered.
“Yes,” Levi replied without hesitation, surprising himself.
“Awesome!” Eren exclaimed. “God, I’m so excited. I can’t wait to see what you look like.”
Levi really smiled this time.
“Me too, Eren.”
---
They had exchanged numbers. So I can give you my address, Levi had claimed, but they both knew that they actually really wanted to talk.
Eren could barely contain his excitement as he told his mom what had happened and where he was going.
She had kissed his head and told him to drive safe and behave well with a wink.
He had groaned.
He tried his best to not speed too much on the way to Trost. His plan was to pick Levi up at his house, and they were going to go to a diner. It’s my favorite, Levi had said. It looks like a hole in the wall, but the food is delicious.
Eren has suggested talking on the phone while he drove, but Levi quickly vetoed the idea. He said he had to get ready, and he certainly wasn’t going to allow Eren to be distracted and crash. Eren told him he would never. Levi somehow believed him, but still told him no.
Once Eren entered Levi’s neighborhood nearly an hour later, he had to pull over to calm himself down. He had just talked to his soulmate, and now he was meeting him in person. How lucky was he!
His hands were shaking and he had to rub the sweat off on his pants. Was Levi going to hold his hand? He knew he was a clean freak. He brought hand sanitizer to put on before he met him, so maybe if he saw the bottle he’d hold his hand. Was that how that worked?
He had also stayed up the night before picking out an outfit and trying to clean the dirt out of his Converse. Did he look good enough for Levi? His hair was probably a mess, oh god.
He shook those thoughts out of his head and began driving again, shortly pulling up to Levi’s house.
Eren snatched the small bouquet of flowers out of the backseat and marched towards the front door. He rang the doorbell and took a step back.
Soon enough, a rather short man with ebony hair opened up the door.
Eren knew exactly who it was, even if he wasn’t at his house. No matter where they were, even if they were in a crowd, he could find him. He just knew it.
“Levi…” he breathed.
Levi took a step closer, examining Eren’s face. “Eren,” he replied, his voice just the same as it was through the headphones. Maybe a little more beautiful.
Eren’s expression melted into a bright grin. “Levi! Oh, you’re so cute! You’re so beautiful and handsome! Here-“ he shoved the flowers at Levi. “Have these. I hope they’re to your liking.”
Levi looked a little taken aback, and a bit overwhelmed. He accepted the flowers and backed into his house. “Uhh, come in. Thank you.”
Eren quickly picked up on his hesitance, and he felt bad for being so forward.
“I like your house,” he said as soon as he stepped in.
Levi smirked. “You haven’t even looked around, dumbass.”
He laughed nervously and nodded his head. “I suppose so. But you live in it, so I automatically like it.”
A blush appeared on Levi’s face as he walked towards the kitchen, looking in the cabinets for a vase. He found one and filled it up, setting the flowers inside.
“There. I’ll set them on the table. They’ll make a nice centerpiece since they’re so beautiful.”
They both smiled.
Once they finished up inside, the pair headed out of Eren’s car. They climbed inside and Levi began directing Eren to the diner.
“Trost is cute,” Eren commented, looking around.
“Eyes on the road. Yes, it is cute. Once I graduate, though, I might move away.”
Eren glanced at him briefly with a quirked eyebrow. “Really? Hm, where would you go?”
Levi was silent for several moments, and Eren almost apologized for asking.
“I don’t know. I applied to colleges and got letters back, but I don’t know where I want to go.”
Eren exhaled slowly, hand peeling off of the wheel. He hesitantly reached for Levi’s hand, grasping it firmly. “You don’t have to decide now. I’m taking a gap year to focus on making money. Maybe you can take a gap year, too.” He smiled.
Levi smiled back.
It wasn’t long before they arrived at the diner. It was mostly empty, so they got to choose where they sat. Levi chose a booth tucked away in the back. He said it was his favorite area. Nobody could stare at them through the window, and hardly anybody passed by the table.
Levi guided Eren around the menu, telling him what he liked best and what sides went well with what entree.
He felt oddly comfortable around Eren. He thought he would be nervous and jittery, and he was at first, but now he felt relaxed. Was this what being around your soulmate always was like?
After they ordered, Eren leaned back in his seat. “What do you do in your spare time?”
Levi hummed. A get to know you question. “A lot of things. Sometimes I write. Sometimes I play video games. Sometimes I read. Sometimes I play with my cat.”
“You have a cat?!” Eren gasped. “I need to meet them! Oh my god, I love cats!”
Levi snorted, chuckling a little. Eren wanted to make him laugh more.
“What do you write?” He decided to ask next. “And what video games do you play?”
“You ask a lot of questions,” Levi noted with a smile. “I… really like writing fantasy. George R.R. Martin type shit. And I play anything from Halo to Legend of Zelda.”
Eren nearly stood up from his seat. “Whoa! That’s so cool! I love ‘Game of Thrones’ and I love Zelda! Those are the best.” He thought for a moment. “You’re the best, Levi.”
Levi began blushing for the second time that day, averting his eyes. “Once you get to know me, I’m really not.”
“But I do know you.”
Levi looked up at him.
“Or at least I’d like to think I do. I got to listen to you for two months at times when no one else got to listen, and when you were around people.”
Levi opened his mouth to reply, but their food came. He glanced up at Eren shyly before cutting his sandwich in half, staying quiet.
After that, their conversation stuck to casual talk, or questions about Eren. Eren drove Levi home once they were done, but they both remained in the car while they sat in the driveway.
“I actually had a really great time,” Levi told him, twirling his thumbs around one another.
“Actually?” Eren raised his brows teasingly. “Were you not expecting to have fun?”
“Shut up!” Levi smacked his shoulder. “I’ve never been on a date before!”
His eyebrows shot higher up. “So this was a date?”
Levi rolled his eyes at Eren. “Of course it was. Dumbass.” Eren grinned.
“Do you… think we could do it again sometime?” He asked. Levi studied his face.
“Yes,” he answered honestly. “I’d like that.”
Eren nearly started bouncing in his seat. “Great!”
Levi smiled. “Great.”
He glanced over at his house and sighed. “I’m gonna go now. Will you text me? Talk to me?”
Eren nodded eagerly, reaching for his hand with both of his. “Of course I will. Just let me know if you want to talk and we can.” Levi nodded.
“Bye,” He said softly.
“Goodbye,” Eren replied, equally as soft. Levi leaned in to peck Eren’s cheek before hopping out of the car, embarrassed by his actions. Eren, on the other hand, was stunned and grinning like a dork.
“Bye,” he said again. He waited for Levi to enter his house before driving home, his favorite soundtrack playing through the speakers.