Chapter Text
“Eren, why the hell are you dragging us out to this party?” you complained to your friend as he sat on your couch with his feet on your coffee table. You shot him a glare and almost immediately he swung his legs off.
He simply shrugged in response, the movement of his shoulders barely recognizable under the giant pumpkin costume he wore. “The band’s playing at some pre-Halloween party, Hange told me to invite all my friends.”
A scoff came from the other side of the room, where Jean, in his “sexy cowboy” costume, was leaning against the wall. “Do they know that you only have two of those?” You heard a laugh beside him as Eren glared at him.
“You’re here too, aren’t you?” Armin chuckled at Jean. “That makes four at least.” He put up each finger on one hand as he listed off everyone present: himself, you, Jean, and Mikasa.
“I’m not his friend,” Jean rolled his eyes before looking away. “And Mikasa’s his girlfriend, she doesn’t count. So yeah, smart-ass. Two friends.” He pointed at you and Armin, who were dressed in matching pumpkin costumes with Eren. Mikasa , who was dressed as Morticia Addams, nodded in agreement. Jean, to some extent, was right. He sat by Eren in the psychology class you two shared (often asking if the two of you could share your notes with him) and Mikasa comes to Eren’s shows all the time.
“Hey,” you pointed out. “The pumpkin costumes were not my idea. I wanted to be Pitbull.” You attempted to cross your arms over the orange felt encasing your body, to no avail.
“Not fair,” Armin countered. “We’ve been matching pumpkins since the fourth grade.”
“Why is Mikasa exempt this year then?” You huffed.
“I told you guys I’d be a pumpkin on Halloween,” she shrugged. “It’s October 17th.”
You rolled your eyes. She had a point. And it was far too late for you to find a different costume now. Jean scoffed at your playful bickering. “At least you’re a hot pumpkin,” he joked. You were used to Jean’s flirtatious comments by now, but you never really took them too seriously. He seemed like he only did it to get a rise out of Eren, who’d come to fill some sort of brotherly role in your life since you were kids.
“Yeah?” Eren spoke with a mischievous glint in his eyes. “Glad you think I’m hot.” He and Armin exchanged a laugh as Armin walked to comfort a sulking Jean.
“Not you,” Jean turned away, swatting an arm out at Armin who pat him on the back pitifully. “Ugh I don’t even know why I agreed to come along.”
“Because you needed my notes to pass class, dumbass,” Eren retorted.
Remembering your psych class, you cleared your throat before speaking. “Anyway,” you began. “The point was that we have a psych exam tomorrow and Halloween is still well over a week away.”
Eren mumbled something about the frat wanting to beat all the other frat parties happening and promising free coffee for you tomorrow in exchange for coming out tonight. You rolled your eyes in response. You couldn’t be begged to come, but you could be bribed, apparently.
With that, three pumpkins, a sexy vampire-esque housewife, and a not-as-sexy cowboy made their way to the local frat house. It felt pretty ridiculous really, to see the five of you (especially the pumpkins) all pile into Eren’s beat up Camry on a random Sunday in October.
The blue and white house that sat at the end of Greek row still seemed relatively untrashed, save for the (decorative?) shopping cart filled with empty cans of beers and seltzers on the front lawn. The party had yet to hit its full swing and you internally groaned at the thought of being here all night. Upon entering, the four of you followed Eren to where his band was beginning to set up. Somehow, they had managed to set up a stage in the cramped first floor of the house.
Eren’s band, No Name , consisted of him, and three seniors from various departments of the school who were all also somehow academic weapons: Hange, a rather eccentric pre-med biology major on keyboard; Miche, a finance major on drums; and Levi, a biomedical engineering major, was their lead guitarist and lead singer. Eren himself played bass, and was a junior in music education.
He started in the band around the end of the spring semester when Erwin, the previous bassist for the band, and the others came up to him after one of his recitals to invite him into the band. Eren talked about his band members a lot, but this was the first time you were going to meet them in person.
The rest of the band was already on stage, tuning their instruments and messing with the amps and wires that were scattered around. They looked up at Eren as he hopped onto the platform to join them. Hange gave him an excited wave as they played a few test notes on the keyboard. Miche gave him an acknowledging nod, before turning his attention back to his drums.
The third member, Levi, looked up and nodded at Eren before glancing at the rest of you. He seemed surprised to see you there because you watched his gray eyes flicker back to you. His gaze was intense, but cautious. You turned your head in confusion until you realized you’d seen him in class before. You hadn’t really spoken to him before, but you gave him a light wave anyway and he returned with the same nod he gave Eren.
“Mikasa,” Hange greeted her excitedly. “I love your costume, you are so cute.” Mikasa blushed at the compliment and thanked them in response. Miche was not in costume, but Hange and Levi seemed to have a matching motif – They were wearing all white with a halo headband atop their head, and Levi in all black with devil horns on his head. Hange turned their attention to the rest of you and hopped off the stage to meet you. “Armin, you’ll have to introduce me to your friends.”
“Right,” Armin started. He introduced you and Jean to Hange and to Miche and Levi who were listening while finishing up. Jean nodded to Levi who looked at him with a raised eyebrow.
“Hey bro,” Jean greeted. Levi scoffed in return.
“Not your bro,” he replied curtly. Hange raised an eyebrow at him in amusement. “This is that idiot who sits in front of me and watches Fortnite streams during class.” Hange hummed in recognition as Levi explained. You couldn’t help but let out a chuckle at Levi’s dry response and he turned his slate gray eyes to you.
“He’s right Jean,” you agreed. “You are a bit of an idiot.” Levi’s lips twitched at your agreement.
“And you’re the one who shares notes with the idiot so he passes,” he turned to you.
“Yup,” you affirmed with a grin. “His savior, if anything.”
Jean opened his mouth to retort before a voice caught everyone’s attention. Connie, the president of the frat called out to Levi. He was dressed as a minion. “Hey Levi,” he greeted. “Are you guys ready? More people are starting to show up, so I figured I’d ask if you guys were ready to start your set.” Levi nodded and Connie turned to the rest of you. “There’s snacks and drinks in the kitchen.” He leaned over and lowered his voice conspiratorially before adding, “I’d go ahead and dig into the charcuterie before Sasha gets here and gets a whiff of the prosciutto.”
The group of you moved away from the amps by the stage and towards the kitchen where, sure enough, enough alcohol and snacks for an army were haphazardly layed out. A strum from the guitar and a tap on the mic caught your attention as Levi introduced the band. “Hey everyone, we’re No Name. Enjoy, I guess.” Without any more fanfare, he turned to Miche and nodded as they began their first song, a rather upbeat song about partying. The cheers from the now crowded living area spurred them on. With a fresh drink in your red cup, you made your way back towards the stage to watch the group.
Honestly they were pretty good, and you wondered why it had taken you so long to actually see one of their shows. Hange had an upbeat and charismatic aura on stage, constantly bouncing on their feet and even sending an occasional flirty wink to people in the crowd. Miche seemed to get lost in the music and you watched as his eyes shut and he seemed to be in his own world. Even Eren, who looked stoic enough nodded his head along to the music and you could recognize his voice ever so often in a high harmony.
And there was Levi.
Although he didn’t look it… or particularly sound like it from his cold and short manner of speaking, had a melodic tone to his low voice. He was much different on stage than what you had gleaned from him in the short interaction you had with him. Then, he felt intense and closed off, as if he had already placed himself at an emotional distance from those around him. His stage presence however, was magnetic – the way he leaned into his microphone and would turn to face the band every so often to give cues, he seemed so in command, The way he’d smirk every so often or scan around the audience, it made you want to be the object of his gaze. it was impossible not to stare.
“About last night, I was undone
God it feels right, being so wrong
And I realized, all the blurry nights are when I feel alive.”
You looked around at your friends as you began to dance. Mikasa gently bobbed along as she watched Eren with adoration in her eyes. Armin nodded along to the song while he took a sip from his red cup. Jean was talking to a girl who was quietly giggling at whatever he had just whispered in her ear. This was fun , you concluded.
Back on stage, Hange hit a high note that caught your attention and the fanfare told you the song was coming to an end. You watched mesmerized as Levi stepped away from the microphone to strum down on his guitar, head nodding along to the music before returning to the mic and gripping it with both hands. “About last night…” he trailed off and ran his hands through his jet black hair. The rest of the band continued on with the last measures of the song, Eren’s fingers flying up and down the neck of his bass and Miche running through the end of a drum solo.
You found yourself grinning as you clapped and cheered along with the crowd. After a brief pause, Eren’s bass kicked off the next song and you scurried off to the kitchen to top off your drink and grab a snack. With the light buzz of alcohol in your head, you began to realize you didn’t seem to particularly mind the growing crowd dancing alongside you. Time seemed to pass quickly as you found yourself eagerly waiting for each new song the band played. The energy on stage felt electric and contagious, and you found yourself locked in on one member in particular – Levi.
There was something about how he sang each lyric with a raw rasp in his voice and the way his fingers slid down his fretboard with ease that made him so good to look at. The music they played was fun and upbeat, but when they slowed down for a final song, it surprised you enough to snap you out of your trance as Levi spoke in the mic again, leaning in enough that his lips touched the cold metal.
“It’s our last song of the night,” he began with a sigh, catching his breath from the last song. He grabbed his water bottle that was by his mic stand and took a quick sip before wiping some sweat off his brow and continuing. “Let’s chill the fuck out and slow things down. For the last time, we’re No Name .”
Levi’s voice came out over a smooth melody on the keyboard. As people began to gather in pairs or move away from the dance floor, you found yourself close to the stage once again. Levi seemed to catch your eye as he continued to sing and strum gently. His voice had a gentle vibrato to it and it was mesmerizing.
It wasn’t till you felt a tap on your shoulder and you saw Levi’s eyes flicker to a figure beside you that you turned to see Jean offering his hand out to you. “Wanna dance?” he asked casually. You shrugged as you slipped your hands around the back of his neck. His hands awkwardly found your waist, squishing your pumpkin costume in the middle so you looked a little bit more like a squash instead.
“What happened to that girl you were with earlier?” you asked Jean curiously. You had hung out with him a couple of times outside of class, mostly to study, but Jean never seemed very interested in you past being a study buddy turned friend.
“She was definitely more interested in other girls than she was in me,” Jean chuckled quietly. “Plus you looked kinda silly, a giant pumpkin standing by itself in front of the stage.” You turned around, eyes wide, to realize that you were in fact the only person who was on the dance floor alone. Mikasa had gone off to the kitchen to find Sasha and Armin was dancing softly with the girl he’d been talking to lately. Jean must have noticed your embarrassment because he was quick to continue speaking.
“Don’t worry,” Jean continued. “I too would be transfixed if it seemed like a hot singer was singing right at me.” You felt yourself blush at his comment.
“Shut up Jean,” you chastised. “Or else I’ll tell Levi you think he’s hot.”
“Game respects game,” Jean chuckled with a shake of his head and leaned in to whisper near your ear. You could hear the smirk in his voice. “Don’t believe me?” You shook your head no in response. “His eyes haven’t left you since we started dancing.”
Sure enough, Levi was still watching the pair of you as you gently swayed to the melody. The song came to a close soon after and Jean jokingly twirled you away from him before whispering “Go get ‘em tiger.”
You found yourself stunned as he walked away and turned back to the stage just in time to see Levi set his guitar in its case before hopping down in front of you. Without his guitar slung in front of him, you could see his outfit better. He wore a black turtleneck that clung nicely to his toned chest and arms and black slacks. The only Halloween-y part of his outfit were the devil horns that sat on his head… which he promptly removed. Even with his hair disheveled and the glow of sweat on his skin, he looked
good
. He ran his hands through his hair and took a sip of his water, not once breaking eye contact with you. It felt a little intense, really, and even more so when you realized you couldn’t read anything from it.
“You guys are really good,” you offered with a grin. “I really liked that last song.”
“Thanks,” Levi nodded. He let the silence sit for a beat before continuing to talk. “You’re in my psych class, right?”
“Yeah I am,” you confirmed. “I sit next to the dumbass.” Levi’s lips turned upwards in amusement and he nodded.
“Cool,” he said simply. He didn’t say anything else, but he made no move to leave either, so you tried your best to continue the conversation.
“When–”
“We–”
Levi finally let out an amused scoff. You figured that’s the closest you’d get to a genuine laugh, and it was enough to put your nerves at ease for the time being. “Go ahead,” you said.
“We’re playing at another party in two weeks if you want to come,” he said cooly, but the way his fingers fidgeted around the plastic water bottle as if it was the neck of his guitar made you think he might be thinking about this conversation as hard as you.
“Sure, I–” you paused as you thought about the date. “Wouldn’t that be November already?”
A scoff escaped his lips again. “Yeah, some stupid shit about a post-Halloween soiree leading into no-nut-November. A gig is a gig, I guess.” He sounded less than amused about the theme of the party but shrugged it off.
You laughed at the stupidity of it all. “Sure, yeah, I’ll try to come by.”
You smiled at him. He smiled back at you, well, smirked more like. “Cool,” was all he said.
A buzz from your wrist caught your attention, reminding you that it was nearing 1 a.m. and that you had told yourself to go home to study for your exam. You looked back up at Levi apologetically. “Sorry,” you began. “I have to get home, I want to study before tomorrow.”
Levi hummed in acknowledgement and you wondered when he found time to study for his own classes. He nodded towards the door, offering to walk you out. He didn’t really say much until you were both at the front porch of the house, with the cool autumn breeze seeping through the felt of your costume. “I’ll see you around?” he asked.
You nodded in response. “See you around.”
“Cool,” he said again. You moved to begin walking home but turned back with a smile and a two finger salute when you heard him say “Nice costume, by the way.” You had a feeling he wasn’t going to say that to Armin or Eren.
—
Sure enough, the next time you saw Levi was after your psychology exam the next morning.
You had woken up at your desk after falling asleep studying with only 20 minutes until class began. With no other options, you quickly brushed your teeth and washed your face but ran out of your apartment without bothering to change clothes. You arrived just in time for the test to begin, but too late to sit in your usual seat by Eren and Jean.
Last night after coming home from the party, you found it difficult to focus on your notes. All you could think about was Levi and his piercing stare. You’d definitely seen his gray eyes before, but being the subject of their gaze was something else entirely. You recalled the feeling in the pit of your stomach the first time he looked at you. It wasn’t until your phone buzzed with a text from Mikasa stating that she made it home safely that you snapped out of your daze enough to begin studying.
When the exam was finally over, you met the two of them outside of the classroom.
“No, you idiot,” Jean argued. “You’re thinking of the halo effect, the answer was the reciprocal liking effect.” They were in the middle of arguing about what the correct answer on a part of the exam was and you watched Eren scramble to pull his messy notebook out of his backpack to find it in his notes. Before you could interrupt and correct them, a low voice beat you to it.
“It’s the mere exposure effect, you dumbasses,” You turned around with a chuckle, stepping aside to give space for Levi to stand with the three of you. He wore a crisp white t-shirt and black sweatpants and you felt slightly embarrassed at your own pajama pants-hoodie-bedhead combo.
“Huh?” Eren asked as he tried to skim through his notes. “But isn’t that–”
“Mere exposure suggests that the more times we encounter someone or something, the more we tend to like it,” you explained. Levi nodded in agreement.
“Looks like the studying paid off,” he commented, turning to face you.
“Sure did,” you replied before a yawn escaped your lips.
“Take a nap,” Levi suggested, looking you up and down. “You look like shit.” You turned to him with a sharp eye before you realized that was his attempt at witty banter. Instead of a scowl, you rolled your eyes instead.
“I’ll nap after this one buys me a coffee.” You gestured to Eren who had now turned back to Jean to argue about a different question. Levi nodded back before turning to the voice that called his name from behind. It was Hange and Miche.
“See you around,” he said before heading in their direction.
You didn’t see Levi much after that day. Or Eren for that matter.
For the next few classes, Eren and Levi left rather promptly to have band practice in preparation for their early November gig. So those days, you found yourself walking to the library with Jean.
“I haven’t seen Eren have to go to practice this often since the summer,” you had noted to him as you walked. The party was tomorrow night, and Eren and Levi skipped class altogether for rehearsal so you promised to send Eren your notes.
“Yeah,” Jean agreed as he brushed a fallen leaf off the top of his hair, ruffling it in the process. “But apparently they have a new song on their setlist, so I guess that’s why.”
You were surprised to learn that Jean had a conversation with Eren past arguing over class notes, and you noted the shade of red that dusted the tops of his ears when he saw you look at him inquisitively. “Oh? Did Eren tell you that?”
“Yeah,” he scoffed. “And what about it?”
“Nothing,” you replied coyly. “Just glad to see you guys are friends now.” Jean rolled his eyes and you shoved him playfully. He shook his head with a soft laugh.
“I guess if I have to see him every day, we might as well be friends,” Jean admitted. “Mere exposure effect or whatever.”
“Aw, you are learning, Jeanny boy.”
—
The next evening you found yourself at yet another frat house in front of another stage. At least this time you weren’t in a pumpkin costume, but rather in an actual outfit that you felt good about (One that wasn’t picked out by any of your friends).
You managed to arrive in time to catch the band setting up, wanting to offer help, but not really knowing how. Instead you sat on the couch beside a bored looking Mikasa as she fiddled with the cup in her hands.
“Most people don’t show up to parties until they’re actually parties,” Mikasa sighed as she rested her chin in her hands. She watched as Eren fiddled with the tuning pegs of his bass in front of Levi who played him his pitches. You chuckled in agreement. There really wasn’t much going on quite yet as the party had yet to truly begin.
“We could have come by later in the evening,” you replied.
“Nah,” Mikasa countered. “I’m bored, but I’d rather be bored here with Eren than bored alone at home. Plus this way everyone knows I’m ‘with the band’ or whatever. Keeps weirdos away from Eren.” As if to prove her point, she sent a glare towards the poor girl who walked up and offered Eren a water bottle. She had a point. She had a reason to be here early, but did you?
You could say that Mikasa dragged you here with her, but she didn’t really. You weren’t really “with the band” either. You looked back over at the stage and caught Levi’s eye. He gave you a single wave before turning his attention to his microphone stand. Maybe, you thought, it was reason enough that you liked seeing the band set up.
By the time No Name got to the middle of their set, you were having a great time dancing with Mikasa who was more than buzzed. You also felt a little tipsy, but you were nowhere near Mikasa’s level. One of you had to be sober enough to care for the other. Levi cleared his throat into the mic before speaking. “This is a new song. Happy Halloween and no-nut-November.” Although his face remained passive, you could tell Levi was poking fun at the drunk frat boys that were scattered about and cheering loudly.
Mikasa leaned over to you as a keyboard melody began to play. “Eren said you’d probably like this one,” she slurred into your ear.
“ I wish that you and I lived in The Sims
We could build a house and plant some flowers and have kids
But we’re both at some trashy Halloween party downtown”
Levi let his guitar hang around his neck as he wrapped both of his hands around his microphone and leaned in close, as if his proximity to the microphone could fill the room with a sense of intimacy.
“ I wish that we lived on a VHS
I'd erase the things I said and that I'll probably say again
Hit rewind on all the times I got lost in my head”
Mikasa was right, and you were pleased to know that your many years of knowing Eren paid off in him knowing your taste in music. You wondered if he had any influence in writing it and you made a mental note to ask him about it some other time. It was a different vibe than some of the songs the band played last time you saw them, but the crowd seemed to enjoy it and so did you.
The rest of the set was filled with songs that were familiar to you – songs you heard at the last show, and songs that you’d heard Eren practice when you came to visit him and Mikasa at their apartment. Same as last time, the set closed with a slower song, but with no dance partners in sight, you and Mikasa stumbled out to the backyard instead, opting for some fresh air. In the moonlight, you could see the red glow that rose in her cheeks, a side effect of the alcohol. Knowing her, she was on the verge of falling asleep and you were thankful that Eren would be finished with his set soon and could deal with her instead. As much as you loved your friend, Mikasa became a deadweight when she was drunk, as if all her muscles became laced with actual iron.
As if on cue, the final strum of the song rang out and soon after, Eren plopped down between you and a sleeping Mikasa. He scoffed at the sight, but the red in his ears betrayed his attempt at a cool demeanor. He pulled out his phone to take a photo of her in her peaceful state and you laughed softly.
“You know she’ll kill you tomorrow morning once she sees that,” you warned him. Eren chuckled and shook his head as he reached under Mikasa’s back to pull her into his chest and she hummed at the familiar warmth. It was hard to believe that in any other square inch of this party there were frat boys throwing up on the grass when a scene as soft and gentle was playing out right in front of you.
“Eh,” Eren shrugged carefully, looking at her adoringly. “I think I can take her.” He smiled as he pressed his lips against the crown of her head before looking back towards you. “Did you drink tonight?” Eren asked.
You nodded and reached your hand up to feel how warm your cheeks had gotten from the alcohol. “Not nearly as much as Misa,” you answered.
“Do you have a ride?” Eren asked. “I didn’t drive today.”
“I was just planning on walking back,” you shrugged your shoulders. Eren’s brows furrowed together in concern.
“If Armin’s around, you should ask him to walk with you,” Eren suggested. “Or I guess that horse-faced dumbass. He’s fine, I guess.” You laughed at Eren’s mention of Jean.
“I didn’t even know they came,” you admitted.
“They showed up kinda late,” Eren explained. “I saw them show up towards the end of the set.” You hummed in response.
“I’ll keep an eye out then,” you promised as you turned away. “You sure you don’t need my help?” You glanced at Mikasa as Eren waved you away.
“Text me when you get home!”
Back inside the house, the sounds of the band had been replaced with someone’s playlist blasting over the speakers. After doing a lap around the house, your two other friends were nowhere to be found. You knew you were hitting the end of your own social battery as you approached the kitchen in search for a water bottle to take with you before heading out. Although you didn’t drink as much as Mikasa did, the warmth in your throat reminded you that it would be a smart idea to start hydrating. You immediately headed for the cooler that was propped on the counter and dug through the ice and cans of beer until you found what you needed. You wiped your hand against the fabric of your top, trying to regain feeling in your cold fingers before you heard a familiar voice call your name.
“Levi,” you smiled at him in greeting. Today he wore a simple gray sweater with black jeans, and you wondered if he owned anything colorful in his closet. “You guys killed it today.”
Levi’s eyes lit up ever so slightly at the compliment. “Thanks,” he began, and you wondered if that’s all he’d say. “We practiced it a lot.”
“And it paid off,” you agreed, opening your water to take a sip. “I really liked that new song.”
You noted how Levi’s mouth twitched into a small smile. “Really?” he asked.
“Yeah,” you nodded enthusiastically. “It’s right up my alley, and I liked the lyrics too.”
That answer seemed to please Levi who turned his head to hide a gentle blush that crept up his cheeks before clearing his throat to change the subject. “Not drinking tonight?” Levi nodded at the water bottle in your hands.
“I drank plenty,” you chuckled. “It’s for my walk home.”
“You’re walking home?” Levi repeated. “Where’s that brat you’re friends with?”
“Eren?” you asked as Levi nodded. “He’s dealing with a drunk sleeping Mikasa. I told him I'd go with Armin or Jean, but I can’t seem to find either of them.”
Levi hummed as you explained. A beat of silence fell between the two of you as Levi looked around, lost in his own thoughts. “I’ll help you find them,” he offered before nodding towards the stairs. You followed close behind him struggling to shove your way through the crowd until you realized Levi had stretched his hand out to grab hold of your wrist. “Stay close,” he called to you. It was a pleasant surprise that he had offered to help you at all. Half of you expected him to just reply with a simple “cool,” as what seemed to be his default response, and be done with it. Instead, he was dragging you up the stairs and shoving people out of the way on your behalf. You blushed as you realized what this might look like to the random onlooker.
Before you could relish the idea any longer, Levi dropped your hand as he found a clearing by the railing at the upstairs landing where there was a decent view of the party going on downstairs. “It’s easier to find someone when you have a bird’s-eye view,” he explained as his eyes seemed to scan the sea of partygoers.
You turned your attention to where he was looking before spotting Armin’s golden blonde hair and Jean’s sandy brown, both unmistakable from your point of view. “There they are,” you noted excitedly. Levi scoffed in amusement at how a simple observation got you so excited. “It looks like Armin’s… occupied,” you chuckled to yourself. Armin was locked deep in a passionate kiss with Annie, his now-girlfriend. You decided you’d best not bother him and sighed in relief when you saw Jean was just chatting idly with Connie near the door.
Levi walked with you back down the stairs until you found Jean, who smiled and greeted you with a hug. “Hey, stranger.” He looked at Levi with a wave. “Hey b-” he cleared his throat. “Hey Levi.”
A scoff escaped Levi’s lips as they formed into a smirk. “Hey, Jeanbo.” Jean’s face immediately fell into a frown.
“Only my mom– how do you even know about that?” Jean ran a hand down his face as Connie laughed beside him.
“You leave your brightness all the way up when you text your mom from your laptop in class,” Levi explained, much to Jean’s dismay. “And you have the default font size of a billboard ad.”
Connie put a hand on Jean’s shoulder and shook his head in laughter. “I’m gonna go ahead, Jeanbo. See you around.” He waved goodbye at the three of you before disappearing into the crowd.
“On that note, I think I’m gonna go too,” Jean pouted as he watched you laugh along.
Levi watched your hand as it flew up to grab Jean’s elbow as he turned away. “Wait,” you sighed as your laughter died down. “I was gonna ask if you could walk me home, since Eren and Armin are… otherwise occupied.”
Jean’s eyebrow shot up as his eyes moved between your hand that tugged at his sleeve and the steely gray eyes that seemed to be intensely boring down on his. He paused for a second before finally answering you. “I don’t mind but–”
“I’m Hange’s designated driver, and they live an hour away,” Levi seemed to answer Jean’s question before it even came out. You turned to look at Levi, still unreadable as ever, and wondered why he answered so quickly.
“I see,” Jean replied skeptically before turning to you with a shrug. “I’m ready whenever you are.”
You nodded to Jean and the three of you walked towards the door where Levi hung back and leaned against the door frame as you moved past him. You weren’t sure if you were on hugging terms with Levi yet (or if he even had hugging terms for that matter), so you opted to give him a wave instead.
“See you around?” you smiled at Levi warmly. Maybe his stare wasn’t as icy as you originally thought because his eyes seemed to soften. Maybe it was just in your head, but that would’ve been fine too.
“See you around.”
Nope, his eyes definitely softened.