Work Text:
“Hey!”
Straightening up quickly, Levi placed her hands behind her back, forcing a bored expression on her face as a figure neared her. She cursed the darkness and waited until the figure stepped into the light from the streetlamp. Noticing who it was, she cursed again, her hands tightening as Eren Jaeger stepped into the light, still clad in her volleyball uniform from that night's game.
“What are you doing? No one’s allowed on campus after hours,” the senior volleyball captain placed a hand on her hip and glared at Levi. For a moment, Levi felt self-conscious of her maroon sweater, black jeans, and motorcycle boots compared to the warm red and orange of Eren’s uniform but then she sucked in a long breath and told herself that she was being stupid.
With a challenging curl of her lips, Levi mirrored Eren’s stance, “Yeah? And what about you?”
“I have to clean up after every volleyball game, which usually takes me an hour or so,” Eren motioned to her uniform and waited for Levi to respond.
Levi searched for something around her to inspire an excuse and her eyes landed on a wrapper discarded on the ground, “I’m… obviously picking up trash.” She walked over to the wrapper and hesitated before she bent down to pick it up, arm outstretched and as far away from her body as possible as she gave a forced grin.
Eren tilted her head to the side and raised an eyebrow, a halo of light surrounding her and making Levi think of an avenging angel, “And why are you picking up trash at ten at night?”
Licking her lips, Levi donned an annoyed expression and waved the wrapper in the air, “Haven’t you ever heard of a work detail? Guess not since you’re such a teacher’s pet.”
Eren examined Levi with her pretty green eyes that were lined with black eyeliner before she shrugged and brushed her hair out of her eyes, “Whatever, no skin off my back.” Eren turned around and started to walk away, Levi’s eyes immediately dropping down to watch her butt sway side to side in her short shorts. Thank god for volleyball.
“”Meow!”
Horror ran through Levi and she quickly coughed loudly as Eren paused and looked over her shoulder, a smile slowly stretching across her face, “You sick?”
Levi slouched and hugged her elbows, sniffing loudly and pathetically coughing as she nodded, “Common cold, very spreadable.”
“Ah,” Eren’s eyes flicked down to the bush behind Levi and Levi tensed, hoping to god that it wasn’t visible. “By the way, you should really take it to a shelter, otherwise it won’t last through the night.”
A shiver passed through Levi’s body as Eren resumed walking away and Levi swore that Eren’s step was way more bouncier and smug. Clenching her fists, she raised her voice, “How the hell would you know that? You a vet or something?”
“Nope,” Eren popped the ‘p’ as she walked away, “But my dad is. See you tomorrow, Levi,” Eren waved without looking back and then she was gone.
Levi growled under her breath and turned around where the kitten Levi was trying to hide was licking its paw right next to Levi’s foot. “Stupid senior, stupid pert boobs, stupid bubble ass,” Levi muttered as she bent and scooped the kitten up. Deciding to not follow Eren’s advice like the teenager she was, Levi held the kitten to her chest and it nuzzled its head against her finger. “Come on, let’s get you home. Huh? Would you like that....
“Little Spike?”
***
“Why is Eren staring at you?”
Levi shrugged at Erwin’s question, her eyes glued to her cell phone as she neared her high score. Until a slap on her back had her clutching her phone to her chest and her character dropping dead, “What the hell?”
“Levi, it’s rude to not answer a question when you’re asked one,” Erwin smirked and wiggled his fingers. “Besides, games will rot that brain of yours.”
Annoyed, Levi slapped Erwin's hand and started up another game of Doodle Jump, sinking low in her seat. The loudness in the cafeteria made a headache form at her temples and she scowled, “Whatever. I don’t know the answer anyways, so thanks for making me lose my game.”
“That’s weird though, I thought you guys hated each other?”
“We do,” Levi tucked her bangs behind her ears and sighed, accepting defeat and putting her phone away to focus on Erwin, “But ever since we’ve had a class together this year, she’s hell bent on speaking to me.”
“Huh.”
“Yeah, it’s annoying. Won’t make me forgive her for what she did, but whatever, she can try all she wants,” Levi picked up her chocolate milk and sipped at the straw, eyes closing as the sweet taste overflowed her senses. “God, I love chocolate.”
“Levi,” Erwin’s voice sounded tired as he picked at his food, “”It’s been twelve years, can’t you get over it?”
“Erwin,” Levi slammed her empty carton on the table and squeezed the life out of it, squirting left-over milk onto the table, “How dare you ask that of me. That knob-monger put icing in my hair and call me sprinkle princess.” Her voice lowered dangerously and she narrowed her eyes, “I will never forgive her.”
“Fine, fine,” Erwin looked away and placed his trash onto his tray, “I’m going to go see where Hanji ran off too, try not to make too much of a scene.”
Levi looked up at Erwin as he stood and noticed his hesitant expression, “Huh? Why would I-”
“Hey, Levi.”
Tensing, Levi slowly turned to look at Eren who was standing across the table from her and she opened her mouth to reply but found that no sound wanted to come out. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Erwin leaving and she cursed him. Levi turned back to Eren and just decided that glaring at her would be better than anything else.
“Wanna walk to our next class together?” Eren’s lips pulled at the corners and Levi sniffed indignantly, her mouth pursing as Eren waited patiently with a smug expression.
Before she could deny the offer, the bell rang loudly and everyone started to get up from their seats and Levi panicked. Without answering, Levi grabbed her bag and slung it onto her shoulder, hoping that Eren would get the hint and leave her alone.
She joined the fray of students leaving the cafeteria and finally made it out, seemingly without Eren too. Sighing, she hefted her backpack higher before sauntering off towards class, liking the sunlight that warmed her as she walked.
“Did you do the homework?”
Levi jumped, her heart racing as Eren sidled up next to her with a satisfied curl of her lips. “Wh-What?”
“The homework?” Eren blinked at Levi as they walked, “You know, for calc?”
Again Levi cursed under her breath and she slouched in defeat.
“I’m guessing no from how devastated you look,” Eren chuckled to herself and raised a hand to cover her lipgloss covered mouth. “You can copy my answers if you want.’
“What?” Levi looked up at Eren, squinting because of the sunlight and because Eren was a tall motherfucker.
“My answers, you can copy them if you want.”
Blinking, Levi shook her head and chuckled, “No way, I’ll just do it before she collects it. I don’t need your help.”
“You’re going to do ten problems in the five minutes we have before class starts?” Eren looked dubious.
“I said I would, didn’t I?” Levi pushed past Eren as they neared their classroom and she walked into the room and found her seat. Unfortunately, the teacher thought that math would be easier to understand if you had a partner to ask questions. And Eren happened to be Levi’s partner.
Slamming her bag onto the desk, Levi pulled out the worksheet and a pencil and started working, her eyebrows drawn low in concentration. Dimly, she was aware that Eren had lowered herself into the desk next to her but she tuned her out as she wrote furiously.
A few minutes later, just as the teacher was calling for their homework, Levi sat up with a pleased hum and handed her paper to the person in front of her so that it could be passed to the front. The teacher told them to start working on the problems on the board as she graded the homework and Levi pulled out the textbook under her desk and flipped it open.
“You seriously did them all in that short amount of time?”
Levi looked over at Eren like she was crazy, “Duh, didn’t you see me turn it in?”
“Yeah but, there’s no way you got any of them correct,” Eren shook her head and wrote down the problems they had to do.
Shrugging, Levi rubbed under her eye to catch excess eyeliner that might have smudged, “Whatever you say.”
Eren frowned as Levi started working on the classwork and finally, after staring at Levi for a few moments, Eren started working too. They worked in silence, the rest of the class quietly talking with their neighbors.
“Levi,” Levi turned at the sound of her name and hummed in response, “you got a hundred again, good job.” Her teacher smiled at her and Levi grinned back before resuming her work.
“How-?” Eren trailed off and looked down at her textbook for a few quiet moments before she turned to Levi, “If you use liquid eyeliner, it won’t smudge as much as the stuff that comes on a stick. It’s also easier to apply and easy to get off with makeup remover.”
Levi blinked, taken aback by the topic, “Uh, thanks? I’ll remember that when I have the money to spare,” she lowered her head and pulled her hood over her head, conscious of her cheap eyeliner that she bought at the drugstore down the street from her apartment.
“Um,” Eren ran a hand through her hair and avoided Levi’s eyes, “I was wondering,” she paused, uncertain, “Well, you see, I’m failing this class right now and I need to pass in order to graduate with honors and to keep my position as captain. So, do you think you could help me?”
“Why would I? I don’t like you,” Grey eyes narrowed down at her paper as she continued working, only a small part of her feeling guilty.
Eren sucked in a deep breath, “Well, I was hoping that-”
“That what? I’d help you, you’d win me over, I’d forgive you, and we’d live happily ever after? No thanks.”
“That,” Eren continued loudly over Levi, causing that other students to throw them annoyed glances, “We could grab ice cream after school and I’d pay as a thank you for tolerating me and helping me leave this school as quickly as possible so you won’t have to see me ever again.”
Slowly sitting up, Levi turned to Eren with a faux happy expression, “I would be happy to be your tutor, it costs twenty dollars an hour.” Packing her things, Levi stood up and glared down at Eren who returned the glare, “Meet me in the parking lot, right after school. I don’t accept tardiness.”
As the bell rang announcing that class was over, Levi sped walked out of the room, her grip tight on her backpack’s strap.
***
“Tell me why we couldn’t go over to your house? Or even the library?”
“Because,“ Eren adjusted the air vent so it was blowing on her, “My dad’s having a work party tonight and the library is closed because it’s a long weekend.”
“Fine,” Levi licked her fingers that were covered in melted chocolate ice cream, the empty cone in her hand, “just don’t expect much. And also, don’t touch anything, I don’t need your germs on my shit.” Sighing in bliss, Levi leaned back against her seat and closed her eyes. She fucking loved chocolate so damn much.
“You’re not going to eat the cone?”
“Huh?” Levi opened one eye and looked over at Eren whose attention was focused on the road as she drove, “Why would I eat the cone, it’s basically styrofoam.”
Eren’s mouth dropped and her eyebrows rose, “How can you not like the cone, that’s the best part!”
Shrugging, Levi held the cone out towards Eren, “Want the rest then?”
“What?” Eren quickly took her eyes off of the road before she looked back at the road, “No way, that’s gross.” Levi huffed and caught a glimpse of red on Eren’s ears and she thought it weird that Eren’s ears turned red. Maybe it was the heat.
“Then shut up about it,” Levi rolled her eyes and looked out the passenger window, noticing that they were nearing her house. “Turn left at the next light and then it’s on the first right.”
They rode in awkward silence for a few seconds before Eren reached for the radio and turned it on, a band that Levi was familiar with coming on at full blast and causing them to cover their ears. Eren quickly switched it off and apologized, her eyes wide as she turned left at the light.
“Was that Bastille?”
“Yeah, why?”
Reaching a hand up to scratch her cheek, Levi fidgeted in her seat, pulling at the ends of her shorts, “No reason.”
“Anyways, here we are,” Eren parked in front of Levi’s apartment and turned off the car as Levi got out and slammed the door shut. Without waiting for Eren, Levi headed towards the stairs that lead to her home and she climbed them two at a time. If Levi were to look back, she would have caught Eren staring at her ass, but too bad Levi was too caught up in digging her keys from her backpack to notice.
Eren hesitated at the foot of the stairs, noticing the dirt and the bugs lining the walls and she hugged her arms to her stomach and sped up the stairs as Levi opened the door to the apartment. Her skin crawled, her phobia of bugs making her want to get inside as quickly as possible.
The inside, Eren was surprised to learn, smelled amazing and was cleaner than the outside. Only a few scattered cups and shoes were lying around the apartment and Levi disappeared around a corner, leaving Eren in the doorway to toe off her shoes.
“Ah-” Eren yelped as a kitten, which looked slightly familiar, circled her ankles and rubbed against her leg, meowing up at her. Bending down, Eren held out a hand for the kitten to sniff and it deemed Eren worthy and allowed her to stroke its back. Eren smiled at the kitten and rubbed its head as soft footsteps announced Levi’s presence.
“There you are, Spike,” Levi called and the kitten or Spike, scurried over towards Levi and rubbed against her leg before disappearing behind a couch. “So I was thinking we coul-”
“You kept the kitten?”
“Ah,” Levi stopped short and turned towards Eren who wore a smug smile and with one hip cocked to the side, “Yeah. So?”
Eren shrugged and tilted her head to the side, “And you named it Spike?”
Shifting her weight, Levi avoided Eren’s eyes and started towards the kitchen to look for something to drink, “I like spikes, you know, since I’m punk and all.”
“The sound of snorting had Levi turned to where Eren stood leaning against the kitchen doorway, “You aren’t punk just because you wear all black and like studs.”
Glaring, Levi crossed her arms, “What? I’m punk.”
“Okay,” Levi could practically hear Eren’s eyes roll.
Deciding that it’d be better if they dropped the subject, Levi resumed looking for something to drink and she peeked at Eren from underneath her bangs. She couldn’t help but notice how pretty Eren was and how completely fucking clumsy she was as she dropped a coffee mug onto the ground.
“Sorry!”
Sighing, Levi stepped over the mess and went to get the broom. As Eren cleaned up the mess, Levi poured two cups of coke and handed one to Eren once she threw away the trash. Accepting it with a quirk of her lips, Eren stepped aside and motioned for Levi to lead the way.
“You know, I’m the best spiker on the team, right?”
“So?” Levi started walking away, hiding her face from Eren’s view as she panicked and tried to think up an excuse. They walked down a narrow halfway that lead to two bedrooms and Levi opened the door on the right and entered, the good smell stronger in here.
“Nothing, just thought it was funny how you named the cat Spike. It’s a cute name,” Eren stepped into Levi’s room and she took in the neatly stacked CDs and DVDs and the lack of no clothes on the floor.
“Whatever.” Levi took off her jacket, revealing a sleeveless shirt and an impressive set of biceps.
Eren licked her lips and pulled her gaze away from Levi’s arms, “So…”
“You can sit at the desk, I’ll warn you now that I’m not that good of a teacher but you will pass your class if you put in the effort and listen to what I say,” Levi continued on even as Eren seemed to want to say something, “Your time starts now, in an hour you’ll owe me twenty bucks.”
“O-Okay,” Eren pulled out her notebooks and set them on the table, readying herself for a long day.
***
“No, no, you see here is where you need to utilize this equation,” Eren swallowed loudly as Levi leaned over her shoulder and erased Eren’s messy writing. It took all of Eren’s concentration to focus on what Levi was saying but she managed by imagining the boy’s basketball team’s locker room showers.
Squeezing her pencil tightly, Eren took a deep breath which turned out to be a mistake as she got a whiff of the Levi’s perfume which made her head dizzy and her vision swim. “Where’s the bathroom?” Eren said loudly, interrupting Levi.
Blinking, Levi straightened, “Down the hall.”
“Okay, be right back,” Eren quickly left the room and escaped into the safety of the bathroom. Leaning back against the door, she let out a large breath of air and ran a hand through her hair, eyes closed. After a moment of rest, she pushed away from the door and stared at herself in the mirror, checking to make sure her makeup wasn’t smudged and that her hair was still in a messy bun.
Glaring at herself in the mirror, Eren pointed at her reflection and stage-whispered, “You’ve got this Jaeger, so what if she’s pretty and has thighs that could crush your skull?” She trailed off with a low whimper, imagining Levi sitting on her face. Blinking, Eren shook her head and continued, “You’re the captain of the volleyball team and you don’t let fear control you!” She finished with a nod and pulled open the bathroom door and headed towards Levi’s room.
“Was it a nice shit?”
Eren stopped short and paused in the doorway, expression confused, “What?”
Levi looked up from her phone, one leg propped up on the computer chair and the other swinging back and forth lazily, “Nevermind. It’s been an hour by the way, want to call it a day?”
Panicking, Eren shook her head and forced a laugh out of her, “Actually, I’m still confused on that whole derivative thing so maybe you could explain it one more time?”
“Seriously?” Levi rubbed her forehead and then the back of her neck, “Look, why don’t we just call it a day and we’ll go over it tomorrow? Sorry but I have a headache from all this extra studying and my uncle’s going to be home soon.”
“Ah, okay,” Eren hid her frown as she packed her stuff. “Well,” she slipped her shoes on out in the hallway and Levi stood by her, waiting for her to leave. “I guess I’ll see you tomorrow, um,” Eren hesitated in the doorway before she waved at Levi and Levi closed the door.
Sighing, Levi stared at the door, lost in thought.
A knock had Levi jumping, the sound startling her out of her thoughts. She opened the door, thinking it was her uncle and seeing who it was she froze, eyes wide. “Did you forget somethi-”
“Please go out with me!” Eren shouted, her hands clenched tightly by her sides and eyes alight with determination. Levi sucked in a breath, the look Eren was giving her reminding her of when Eren was in the middle of a volleyball game.
“I-”
“I know you don’t like me, I think it’s because I spilled something on you when we were kids but I don’t really remember it all that well other then I’ve had a crush on you since kindergarten. I just find myself unable to stop thinking about you and when I saw you at my game the other night, I kept showing off to impress you and I even got yelled at by coach because I was being reckless way more then usual. But-” Eren took a deep breath and continued, “I’ve always thought you were cute and then I saw you helping that kitten and how smart you are and I realized that I want to know more about you.”
“But-”
“You’ll probably say no but I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I never asked you but I really appreciate you helping me with calc and just in general tolerating me even though you hate me.”
Levi crossed her arms, feeling like a thousand emotions were running through her at once. “Are you done?” At Eren’s nod, Levi continued, “I guess,” Levi took a deep breath and looked to the side, “I wouldn’t mind going on a date with you. Just once,” Levi raised one finger as Eren perked up, “And we’ll see what happens from there. And you’re paying.”
Nodding, Eren smiled brightly and reached for Levi before she stopped short and dropped her arms, laughter bubbling from her lips, “Oops, sorry. Got ahead of myself,” Eren crossed her arms and stood still, energy vibrating from her, “Um, I should go but do you think I could have your number? So that we could set up the time and just for talking in general with you…?”
“Fine,” Levi held her hand out and Eren placed her phone into Levi’s hand, “But don’t go overboard.” She put her number in and handed it back to Eren, leaving her to fill in the contact information.
“Deal,” Eren grinned as she stared down at Levi’s number until she realized that she’d been staring for too long and she tore her eyes away from the number, “I’ll see you tomorrow!”
Levi waved and closed the door, her lips trembling with the weight of holding back a grin. She placed a hand over her face and cursed the sun and the stars for ever putting someone as beautiful as Eren onto this planet.
“I’m fucked.”