Chapter Text
Eren
I’m dying.
Like, actually dying.
It’s hard to breathe, my lungs are burning, and I can’t feel my legs anymore.
Man, I really hate P.E.
We’re supposed to run three laps, and I’m already exhausted after one. Lord, just kill me now.
I’ve never been athletic. I’m that skinny kid with no endurance who always gets picked last in team sports. It’s embarrassing and doesn’t exactly help my confidence. I’m more of a book person — sophisticated and... who am I kidding? I’m a nerd.
I’m an advanced sophomore, so I’m already taking some AP classes. Not great socially, though. Most of my classes are with juniors and seniors, and they basically think I’m a freak. The idea of being a year ahead in any subject seems unthinkable to them I think. Thank God for Armin, my best friend. He’s in a lot of my AP classes and is somehow even more advanced than I am. That being said, his athletic capabilities are sadly on a par with mine. Being sophomores, we don’t really talk to anyone older, and for the most part, we're ignored — except for the occasional whispers or giggles from some senior girls if I dare to answer a teacher’s question.We’re not exactly high up on the social food chain.
I do have other friends, though. Armin and I still hang out with our old group from junior high. We don’t have many classes together anymore, but we see them during lunch and P.E. (and trust me, I’m definitely not advanced there). We’re not part of the “popular” crowd and are often the butt of some joke from a certain group of guys trying to impress girls at nearby tables. Jean — part of our group — usually gets pissed and wants to start a fight, but Marco, his boyfriend, always stops him before he does something stupid.
Somehow, I make it through the final lap and collapse on the ground, gasping for air. I hear a few guys laughing, probably making jokes I can’t quite catch, but I ignore them. I always do. I’ve learned to deal with bullying — it’s been part of my life for as long as I can remember so it basically routine for me. I guess I've always been the odd one out for some reason. I stopped trying to figure out why a long time ago. Still, this shit is nothing compered to how it used to be. Being laughed at is way better than the physical stuff I used to deal with. Pushed against walls, thrown on the floor, the usual crap. Once, it got pretty bad and I came home with a black eye.
My saving grace is Mikasa, my sister. She’s a senior, and when she saw my black eye, she figured out who caused it and threatened them into leaving me alone. She can be terrifying when she wants to be. The physical bullying stopped after that, but the whispers didn’t. People still laugh behind my back. Having a sister that everyone is afraid of doesn't make me more popular. I still get picked on every once in a while though. A while ago, someone even stole my clothes while I was showering after P.E. I stood in the locker room half-naked until Coach Erwin found me and got me something to wear. I avoid the locker room after P.E like the plague now. I wait until everyone has left before even taking a sock off. So yeah, I still get bullied, I just… don’t tell Mikasa anymore. She has her own life to deal with, and I don’t want to be the kid who runs to his sister to complain about the “mean kids.” It’s embarrassing enough that she already tries to protect me.
When I finally manage to stand, I drag myself to the locker room to shower. I wait for the rest of the guys to leave — I’m not letting anyone steal my clothes again. This means I have less time to shower than I would like, the next class starting soon.
When I’m done, I look at myself in the mirror.
What I see isn’t impressive: a kid with zero muscle definition, tan skin and freckles, a baby face, and messy hair that refuses to behave, even after a shower. My mom always says I have “the most beautiful green eyes in the world”, calling them exotic. I wish I could believe that. I think they are too big and the color a bit "too exotic". I stare at my reflection for a while, and as always, the final thought hits:
Why am I so ugly??
I don't know why I always do this. Look into the mirror, hoping to be happy about what I see, only to find only disappointment. How can you be obsessed with something but hate it at the same time?
Time for the final class of the day: Chemistry.
I’m good at chemistry, it's one of the subject that just "clicks" for me. So it's not surprising to anyone who knows me that I'm taking AP chemistry.
We’re working on finding the molarity of acetic acid today. Up until now, I've been paired with Armin as my lab partner. Today however, Mrs. Zoë decides that it's time to switch things up for the rest of the semester.
My stomach sinks as soon as she makes the announcement. This means I actually have to talk to someone else in class.
She calls students up one by one to draw the name of their new lab partner from a bowl. Armin goes before me. Looking at him, it's obvious that he’s just as nervous as I am, blushing bright red as he picks his slip. “Historia Reiss,” he reads out loud. Some girls snicker as Armin walks over to a small blonde girl and sits next to her. She smiles at him — she seems to be one of the friendlier ones. Lucky.
Then it’s my turn. My feet feel like lead as I walk up to the front. I’m terrified I’ll get paired with someone who’s been awful to me before. I pull a piece of paper from the bowl, take a deep breath, and read it.
I freeze up. I'm certain that I'm about to faint.
"Well go on Eren. You have to read the name out loud." Mrs. Zoë says.
I gulp before finding my voice again.
“Levi Ackerman.”
A few senior guys laugh and jab Levi in the shoulder. He doesn’t laugh. He just looks at me — completely expressionless — and says nothing.
Levi Ackerman. Captain of the soccer team. Senior. One of the most popular guys in school. Handsome, athletic, and way too cool for literally anyone else here. He’s got raven-black hair, and sharp, serious features that make him look like he walked out of a modeling catalog. But it’s his eyes that really get you — cold, grey, piercing. The kind that make you forget how to breathe if he looks your way.
Everyone — guys and girls — crushes on him.
And I’d be lying if I said I didn’t too.
Now I have to sit next to him. For the rest of the semester. I don't know if I should be jumping from joy or scared shitless.
I shuffle over to his station, trying not to look terrified. He doesn’t react at all when I sit down. Mrs. Zoë starts explaining the assignment and reminding us about lab safety. A bit too quickly, I get up to collect materials — white vinegar, sodium hydroxide, all that stuff — and come back to the table.
Levi still has the same, blank expression on his face, making it impossible to figure out what he's thinking. He says nothing when I sit back down with the supplies. A few seconds pass.
The silence is killing me, so I finally blurt out, “Hi, I’m Eren.”
…Crap. That sounded so lame. My face instantly heats up.
Levi looks at me, arching an eyebrow. “Yeah. I know,” he says flatly.
Oh. Okay. Cool. I want to crawl into the floor and die.
“So, uh… we should get started,” I mumble, focusing hard on the instructions. I follow every step perfectly, trying not to look at him.
After a while, I realize I’m doing all the work.
I glance up. He’s staring at me. There’s the tiniest hint of amusement in his eyes.
“Do you want to take over?” I ask quietly.
“You seem to have it under control,” he says — and then he smirks.
He smirked. At me.
Levi Ackerman — literal perfection incarnate — just smirked at me.
My heart does a weird flip and I suddenly feel way too warm. I look away quickly and pretend to focus on the titration again. When I glance up a minute later, he’s on his phone, not even pretending to help. Normally I’d be annoyed, but honestly, it’s a relief. It saves me from saying anything else stupid.
The bell rings. Class is over.
Mrs. Zoë reminds us to write up a lab report — due Friday. It’s Tuesday today so there's still plenty of time to write it.
Levi gives me a small nod, before standing up and getting ready to leave. I panic and give him a thumbs-up.
A thumbs-up.
Seriously.
He raises an eyebrow, snorts, and leaves.
Nice one, Jaeger. Real smooth.
I walk out of the building, still reeling from the fact that I’ll be paired with Levi Ackerman for the rest of the semester.
“Eren, are you okay?” Armin asks, nudging my shoulder. “Did Levi say something mean to you?”
I shake my head. “No, it’s fine. I just have to get used to working with someone new, that’s all.”
We walk home together, like we always do. We live in the same street so it just makes sense. Armin’s talking about some book he read, something about an ocean, but I barely hear him. My mind’s stuck on Levi.
"Earth to Eren." I suddenly realized that Armin is waving a hand in front of my face. I look at him and laugh nervously.
"So. How do you feel about losing me as your lab partner? Is your heart broken yet?" Armin asks with an amused expression.
I laugh. "Oh yeah, Mrs. Zoë definetly trampled on my heart doing what she did."
"How is your new lab partner? The great Levi Ackerman? I swear he looks like he would kill someone if they would as much as breath to his disliking. He didn't give you a hard time did he?"
I feel my cheeks starting to heat up and look away from Armin. "No..not really. He didn't really say much.
Armin thankfully misses the fact that I'm blushing and continues on. "I'm not surprised. The guy looks like he has a stick up his ass to be honest." We both laugh at that one.
"Well, Historia is pretty nice. We were both pretty shy to begin with but then we fell into a good rhythm I think." We've reached Armins house now so thankfully Armin can't ask anymore questions. " Well see you tomorrow Eren." I just wave and he walks towards his house. I continue further down the street, a certain soccer captain still plaguing my mind.
He looked at me. He smirked at me.
I can’t believe it.
When I get home, I collapse on my bed, still buzzing. For once, I feel… weirdly good, giddy even. The thought that someone like me could get the attention of someone like him.
You're overreacting Eren. It was just a smirk.
I grab my phone, open Instagram, and type Levi Ackerman.
There he is.
His account’s public. He has a lot of photos. A lot of very, very good photos. This man is a god walking among us. I look at the all one by one, trying my best not to drool.
Before I can second-guess myself, I hit Follow.
I grin, toss my phone on the nightstand, and feel proud for like… three seconds.
Then panic hits.
Wait. Is that creepy?
We technically know each other now, right?
It’s fine. Totally fine.
Or… maybe weird? Oh God, it’s probably weird. What was I thinking?!
I’m debating whether to unfollow when my phone rings — it’s Jean. I’ve got him saved as “Horseface.”
Perfect timing.
“What do you want, Horseface?” I answer.
“Oh, screw you, Jaeger!” Jean snaps. “If it were up to me, I wouldn’t be calling, but apparently you’re tolerated by our group, so here we are. Marco’s mom is working night shifts this weekend, so we’re having a little get-together — me, Marco, you, Armin, Sasha, and Connie. It could be fun.”
I don’t have plans (I never have plans), so I say sure.
“Shame I have to see your ugly face though,” I add.
“Yeah, yeah. Love you too,” Jean says, and hangs up.
Jean and I have a weird friendship. We argue constantly and insult each other every chance we get, but he’s a good friend when it matters.
I'm about to put my phone down when it suddenly pings.
It's an Instagram notification.
Oh crap. I forgot to unfollow.
I open the notification and freeze.
Levi Ackerman has sent you a follow request.