Behind The Curtain (EREN X LEVI FANFICTION)

Chapter 20: Blessing

There were many of them. Too many to name a number. Easily close to triple digits. All of them scattered in piles of heartache and sorrow that weaved in and out of Eren's conscience. Three stacks of envelopes, lined paper and drawings lay open on the once-made bed, covering the surface like a blanket. Underneath the duvet of poetry and art is Eren eagerly reading each word that is presented to him, soaking in the written telling's of a man in love, and one that has been feeling such a way for a long time.

The moment Eren laid eyes on the folded pieces of paper he became frozen, like a deer in headlights struck with the overwhelming brightness. The last piece he holds in his hand is a letter addressed to him and the raw feelings scribbled on those pages in elegant handwriting, that can only be Levi's, depicts the journey that started it all. There was a reason Levi looked so familiar to him. All this time, that scratching feeling at the back of his mind telling him the two had met somewhere else before Levi transferred to the school was no mistake. As his eyes follow the heartfelt confession, he recalls seeing Levi's dark eyes on a stormy day. He remembers the rain pelting the earth and coming across a boy, cold and alone and saturated from the wild weather. The image of his vulnerability is clear in Eren's mind. To think he never realised such an impact he had, yet this was the memory that started everything for Levi. Eren's simple gesture of help was the start of new beginnings for the other.

His eyes slowly travel down the page, a sudden constriction capturing his chest as he gets closer to the end. Levi has always written so beautifully. The papers in Eren's hands are proof. The language has flow and is easy to understand. No awkward pauses. Complete structures of paragraphs that sing to Eren's heart. All Eren can do is smile stupidly as he finishes the last few sentences. An apology, an ask for forgiveness, and a promise to wait.

It's everything Eren could have hoped for. The page in his hand is set aside to join the rest of the opened papers, a small portion of the loose leaf covering his entire lower half. He lies down on his bed properly, his head on the pillow, and his arms folded to rest behind his head. The sound of papers crinkling from his movement sounds abnormally loud in his silent room. He can't help but repeat everything he read, visualise every drawing he saw and hold onto every poem that was written. Just for him. Each paper is signed with a date starting from last year, and considering the current year is almost at its end, Eren feels incredibly rich with the affection he has received. Levi may not have made his feelings obvious (getting any kind of emotion from Levi is a chess game where he is always ten moves ahead), but Eren is beginning to realise just how much he means to the raven.

He frowns. All the things he has seen today have felt so meaningful, sitting wonderfully in his mind. His left hand pulls out from behind him to pick up one of the sprawled drawings and he takes it in, marvelling at the detail. Eyes stare back at him, emerald green in colour with a dash of blue shadowing the iris. With his other hand, he opens his phone to bring up the self-facing camera and takes a quick picture of his eye. He views the new photo and holds his phone against the drawing to compare. Levi's talent astounds him. They're identical. The colour and the shading are almost as realistic as the photo, however, the drawing looks more appealing than the wide-open blurry eye on his phone. Eren was never meant to be a photographer, clearly.

Despite his wonder and amazement at the papers surrounding him, there's still conflict residing inside. He needs to talk with Levi. It's been some time since Eren yelled and punched him in the face. He had good reason to but the guilt of resorting to violence still hangs over him like a thick smog refusing to disperse. Levi has more than made up for his mistakes. The set looks amazing, and it took little convincing to get Armin to tell him who assisted him with the reconstruction. Levi always was practical in his way of working. He made a dumb decision, but he took Eren's words to heart and worked hard to reform the trust he had lost, and with all things going smoothly the production can go on without a hitch.