Behind The Curtain (EREN X LEVI FANFICTION)

Chapter 13: Hot Mess

It's the beginning of a new week. A fresh start as one might believe and Levi has never taken a line so seriously before in his life. It indeed is a new start. A start to a new day, a start to a new week, heck, even the start to a new month. It truly is the day for beginnings. As 9 AM rolls around on that Monday, Levi feels refreshed. His week of hibernation has ended, with it, a conclusion to the grief he has suffered from for so long. There's almost a slight leap in his step as he enters the gates for his education. 

Levi is not one to outwardly express his joy. In fact, it's almost impossible to tell what he's thinking behind his poker face. But even those who haven't spent many months close by his side have noticed the abnormally pleasant attitude Levi displays today. He seems to be brimming with a new purpose and a new perspective on life. A breath of fresh air that is a wonderful sight after the tainted smog he had been breathing in for so long.

"Alright, spill it," Farlan slips next to Levi during their art class early morning. He eyes his friend up and down, humming suspiciously as Levi barely bats an eyelash in his direction. "Did you get laid or something when Eren visited? Something about you has changed." 

"So that was your doing, then," Levi comments and Farlan releases an innocent smile followed by a sheepish laugh.

"C'mon, Levi! Bel and I know you just need a push!"

"Has anyone ever told the two of you how meddling you are? It's dangerous to play with someone else's business."

"Pfft, no way! We weren't meddling with anything. We were just helping a friend in need."

"Hm." Levi shakes his head at his very obviously meddling friend and focuses on the work presented to him. He's been scribbling on a page for most of the class now, trying to envision the "inner feelings" their teacher was on about. Apparently, true art is based on a topic one can be very passionate about, and thus the deep seeded feelings in one's mind are a great start to beginning a piece. Their teacher wants them to find something they're passionate about, or a feeling that resonates with them and give it some form of personification. 

In the last thirty minutes all Levi has been able to picture is Eren and his beautiful smile and his kind nature. Therefore the only thing he's been able to sketch is the eyes of emerald green; one more masterpiece for his evergrowing collection. It seems it's the only thing he's able to draw besides the odd skull and rose. 

"So? Tell me what happened! Did you finally make your dream a reality? Fill up his tank? Place your quarters in his slot machine? Poke the bear?!"

"Your questions are invasive and uncalled for."

"And...?"

"Nothing of that sort occurred, now get your head out of the gutter."

Farlan heaves a sigh of disappointment. Apparently, Levi's love life is a prime source of amusement for Farlan and as much as Levi hates to disappoint, there really was no progression in pursuing his love. Unfathomably, they had a brief moment of sharing eye contact, and Levi guesses his show of vulnerability might have helped him move forward from his overbearing demons, albeit not in the way Farlan hopes. 

"Sadly still on square one," Levi informs his nosy friend. As expected Farlan was not happy with this development. The man showed bravery in pushing the unsuspecting teen to visit Levi's own personal abode. Levi never asked for his friends to bring the two together. Even if the experience was a lot more delightful than he anticipated, he can't imagine what must have been going through Eren's head when he was forced to bring Levi's homework to him. He just hopes they didn't make his crush too obvious...

While Levi finishes the detailing on the eyelashes of his almost completed eye he sees that his friend beside him is still very much stuck on his own drawing. From what he can deduce it seems to be the tightening of a rope at its breaking point.