Chapter Text
Eren leaned back into Levi’s chest, reveling in the feeling of his bare toes in the sand and his boyfriend’s arms wrapped securely around him, as they watched the beautiful sunset together.
It had been the best summer of Eren’s life, especially considering he hadn’t wanted to leave Germany in the first place. But California was incredible, so different than anything he had experienced before. Though it wasn’t until he had gotten to the beach that he realized exactly how lucky he was to be there.
Levi was adorable. He was short and petite with a cold expression and a self-proclaimed ‘reputation’. He wore jeans and a leather jacket to the beach the first day Eren had met him; complaining about how hot it was and that he was getting sand in his shoes, yet blushed whenever Eren teased him for it. It didn’t take much convincing to have him show up from then on in short pants, sandals, and a t-shirt; which Eren thought he looked damn good in.
Eren discovered Levi’s sweetness almost immediately, he could tell that Levi didn’t tend to show it to most people, so it made Eren’s heart melt to know Levi was willing to show his true self to Eren so freely.
Eren loved everything about Levi, the two had been inseparable throughout the summer, meeting at the beach every morning and rarely going home before midnight. They planned to stay in touch when Eren went home, neither of them wanting it to be the last time they ever see each other. Eren couldn’t care to live without Levi’s touch; the way he held him, kissed him, looked into his eyes as they shared their passions and dreams with each other. He loved the way Levi focused on him when he spoke; never interrupting, or rushing him through his second language. He never seemed annoyed or bored when Eren spoke – not even when Eren explained the mundane differences he had discovered between America and Europe. Levi was perfect.
They had only known each other for a short time, but Eren knew he had fallen in love with the other boy. It broke his heart to think that after such a wonderful summer, that this would be the last sunset they would watch together.
“What’s wrong baby?” Levi asked, gently wiping away the tear that had rolled down Eren’s cheek.
“I’m going back to Germany tomorrow, I may never see you again,” Eren sniffled, slipping his fingers though Levi’s and looking up at him with a sad, tear streaked smile.
“Don’t talk like that, Eren,” Levi said, an obvious look of sadness in his eyes.
“But it’s true. I just had the best summer of my life and now I have to go away. It isn’t fair,” Eren said, eyes falling from Levi’s face; unable to look at him. Levi didn’t respond, his eyes staring at the sunset in the distance; the soft glow of the falling sky giving him an angelic look, almost as though he were nothing more than a beautiful dream.
Levi turned back to Eren, sadness filling his face despite the gentle smile. Lifting Eren’s chin with his finger he pressed their lips together, just as he had done a hundred times before, yet filled with the pain of goodbye.
The kiss began soft, Levi holding Eren with care, kissing him as though he were the most precious thing in the world, Eren’s felt so filled with love and need, he didn’t even hesitate as Levi turned the kiss into something more heated. They kissed with passion, desperation, and heartbreak; every memory of the summer flooding back as they pulled each other impossibly close. This would be the last night they would see each other, there was no holding back.
Eren lost his virginity that night; under the moon and the stars, and the sound of waves rolling onto the sand beside them. Levi’s arms wrapped around him, holding him close long after they were finished and peppering his skin with butterfly kisses and whispers of ‘I love you’.
A perfect ending to a perfect summer.
“What do you mean, we’re not going home??” Eren shouted the next morning when his parents informed him that they were staying in California.
“I was offered a job as head of the hospital here. I’d be a fool to turn it down,” Grisha explained while Eren looked shell shocked between his parents.
“I thought you liked it here,” Carla said, “Are you not happy to spend more time with your boyfriend?”
“No! I mean, I do... I am... but he was supposed to write me... I gave him my mailing address. He didn’t give me his,” Eren said, his heart breaking all over again. How could he be so close to Levi and have no idea how to find him.
“Don’t worry Eren, if it was meant to be, you will find each other,” Carla said, pulling him into a hug.
While that could be true, Eren was not leaving it up to fate. He went back to the beach every day until they moved to the next town where Eren’s school would be. He knocked on the door of the cabin that Levi and his family had been staying, but they were gone. He went to all of their favorite places on the beach, but with no luck. Levi was gone and Eren didn’t know where else to look.
He and his parents moved into a modest house in Sina, not far from the High School. Eren was not looking forward to being the new student in a new place, so far from his home, especially with his thick accent. Levi had loved his accent; he had been patient with Eren’s English and made Eren feel completely normal around him. Eren didn’t expect to get the same treatment from the other students.
Luckily, Eren had Armin. The blond boy lived next door and had introduced himself to Eren on the day they had moved in. He was very kind and friendly, and Eren was grateful to have a friend to show him around school and sit with during lunch – American schools were much larger than Eren was used to.
“This is Sina High!” Armin said as the two stepped off of the bus. Eren’s eyes widening as he took in the hundreds of students around him, all heading toward the giant building.
“Do I look okay?” Eren asked nervously, noticing his button up shirt and slacks to be much more conservative than most of the other people around him.
“You look great,” Armin smiled, leading then though the crowds.
“I’m really nervous,” Eren admitted.
“You look terrific! You’ll love it here, I know it!” Armin said, linking his arm with Eren’s and pulling him inside and to the office.
Armin wasn’t able to stay in the office, though at least he brought him there. After a quick goodbye, Eren went inside to register and get his class schedule in the chaotic office. Teachers were running around like crazy, students were shouting over each other, and the overall commotion made Eren wish he had gone back to Germany – or at least asked for Levi’s phone number. He would handle the worst crowds if it meant he could be with Levi in this moment.
Eren nodded to a tall boy with blond hair and a black leather jacket who had just walked out of the principal’s office; the boy eyeing him up and down with a smirk before Eren finally caught the attention of the secretary.
“Hi, I’m new. I don’t know my class schedule,” Eren said, watching as the scatterbrained woman went searching for the papers. No wonder the students seem so disorganized if the office couldn’t keep their papers straight.
“How many days until Christmas Vacation?” A woman with glasses, coveralls, and a brown ponytail asked, dramatically flopping down onto the counter beside Eren.
“Eighty-Six,” Eren said in defeat.
“Eighty-Six??” She asked, looking up at him with a pointed stare.
“I’m counting,” Eren nodded, solemnly.
“Then we better get started! Welcome to Sina hope to see you in shop class,” She smiled, grabbing her papers and patting Eren on the back before heading back out the door. She seemed nice, but Eren was definitely not doing shop class. It was far from his area of expertise or interest.
Eren was late for his first class and had to stand up to introduce himself three times that morning, but overall his classes were okay. At least the content was similar to where he had left off in his old school. While it wasn’t as terrible as he thought it would be, he’s be lying if he said he wasn’t looking forward to lunch, for sure Armin would help make the day less stressful.
“Hey guys!” Armin called pulling Eren toward a table with a small group of girls, all wearing the same light blue jacket that Armin wore. “This is Eren, Eren this is Mikasa, Sasha, and Petra. Eren just moved here from Germany,” he introduced.
“Oh yeah? How are things across the pond?” Petra asked, tucking her strawberry blond hair behind her ear.
“That’s England,” Mikasa said with an eyeroll, only earning herself a shrug and a ‘whatever’ from the other girl.
“It’s nice to meet you!” Sasha said through a mouthful of macaroni salad, “How do you like Sina High so far?”
“It’s very different than my last school, but it’s nice,” Eren said with a small smile.
“Are you going to try out for any sports?” Mikasa asked.
“I played football at my last school, I might try out for that,” Eren shrugged, he hadn’t thought much about it, though he supposed it would be nice to have some extracurriculars.
“God knows our team could use someone who knows what they’re doing,” Armin laughed, the girls giggling in agreement.
“So, what did you do all Summer, Eren?” Sasha asked, reaching for Mikasa’s barely touched potato salad.
“I spent most of it at the beach, I met a boy there,” Eren blushed.
“A boy?” Petra asked with a tone of disgust, as she picked a piece off of her bread roll, “That sounds boring, you should have done something fun.”
“It was wonderful, he was kind and romantic,” Eren explained, unable to hide his grin at the memory of his time with Levi.
“Until he got in your pants, right?” Petra scoffed.
“No! He was special, a true gentleman!” Eren insisted, glaring at the petite girl. She clearly wouldn’t become his favorite of Armin’s friends.
“Don’t listen to her, he sounds great!” Armin said reassuringly.
“He really does, are you still with him?” Mikasa asked.
“No, I thought I was going home, so I gave him my address so he could write to me. Now I don’t know how to find him,” Eren explained while Sasha rubbed his back gently.
“If it’s meant to be, we’ll find each other,” Eren said, looking up with a smile. He didn’t want to bring them all down, especially not during their first meeting.
“That’s true!” Sasha grinned.
“What was his name?” Armin asked.
“Levi Ackerman,” Eren smiled, his heart fluttering just from the sound of it on his tongue.
“He seems perfect,” Petra interrupted the surprised gasps that escaped the others, “Maybe if you wish hard enough, you’ll find each other again. Well, we have to get going. See you around Eren.” she said, pulling the two girls away in a huddle.
“You really think so, Armin?” Eren asked as they stood up to put away their now empty lunch trays.
“Y-yeah, of course!” Armin said nervously, “Come on, we should get to class.”
Eren’s new high school seemed less scary as the week moved on, he was able to find his classes with ease, people stopped asking him where he was from, and even Petra didn’t seem to mind sitting with him at lunch.
He did try out for football, which went surprisingly well considering he had forgotten that European football and American football were entirely different sports. Somehow, he had still made the team –even if it was second string where he would be spending most of his time on the bench – maybe there was some truth to the rumors over how bad the team was. He was glad to be a part of something, even if it was just to keep his mind off of Levi.
Though spending his time with someone else might help to take his mind off of Levi as well. The quarterback seemed to have taken up an interest in Eren; making eyes at him during their practices. He was undeniably handsome; tall and broad with a handsome face and cute freckles spreading over his cheeks. Eren wasn’t actually interest, the boy couldn’t compare to Levi’s handsomeness, but Eren wasn’t going to be rude.
Eren sat on the bench during the first game, which he was happy about since it was his first time watching an American football game, and his team was getting demolished on the field. He loved the energy from the crowd; everyone was so excited, even if the home team was losing.
“Eren! You looked great out there!” Armin shouted, running toward him for a celebratory hug once the game was over.
“I didn’t even play,” Eren laughed, hugging him back.
“You still looked great!” Armin grinned.
“Hey Eren,” Petra said, walking toward the two of them with her hands in her pockets, looking cooler than Eren could ever hope to be with Mikasa and Sasha following closely behind. “Come here, we have a surprise for you.”
“Okay, sure,” Eren said, looking over to Armin with a confused look, his confusion only growing from the shrug and guilty look Armin gave him.
Eren didn’t think too much of it, he was too curious over what Petra wanted to show him. He didn’t think she liked him well enough to actually get him something. He was a little confused by the fact that Armin and Sasha were picking at his hair and straightening out his clothes as they walked toward the parking lot.
The next thing Eren knew, he was being pushed forward, in front of the group; nearly falling on his face in front of the group of boys hanging around an old, beat up car. It took him a moment to realize who exactly was standing before him; the petit build, pale skin, silky black hair, and gorgeous grey eyes that were widening in their own shocked realization.
“Eren?!” Levi exclaimed, stepping forward.
“Levi??” Eren shouted in excitement, how was this happening? How was Levi here?
“What are you doing here? I thought you moved back to Germany?” Levi asked, an excited smile stretched over his lips.
“We had a change of plan,” Eren laughed.
“I can’t bel--” Levi stopped himself as he glanced over his shoulder; his friends all staring at him with dumbfounded expressions as though Levi was acting in a way he shouldn’t.]
Levi’s entire demeanor changed in a second; his posture slacking, his hands stuffed into the pockets of his leather jacket, and his face back to his classic, grumpy neutral.
“That’s cool,” He shrugged, eyes falling away from Eren and continuously glancing back at his friends.
“I had no idea you went to Sina High,” Eren said, his smile faltering.
“Well, you know how it is. Rockin’ and Rollin’,” Levi said, bobbing his head as his voice trailed off and the boys began chuckling behind him.
“Levi?” Eren asked, unsure what was happening.
“That’s my name baby, don’t wear it out,” Levi laughed.
“Levi, what’s the matter with you?” Eren asked.
“What’s the matter with me? What’s the matter with you?” Levi laughed.
“What happened to the Levi that I met at the beach? Eren asked, his stomach twisting at the change. What happened to Levi? Where was the sweet boy who held him close under the stars, who whispered sweet nothings into his ear, who made him feel like he was the most special boy in the world.
“I do not know. Maybe there’s two of us. Why don’t you take out a missing person’s ad?” Levi said, turning toward his friends as they doubled over with laughter behind him.
Eren couldn’t stop the tears from filling his eyes as he stared at Levi. Was this even Levi? He looked like him, sounded like him, and for a moment he had even acted like him. But this boy now, laughing with his friends while Eren’s heart broke, this wasn’t his Levi. Levi had been so kind and caring throughout the Summer, he made him feel loved, as though no one existed but the two of them.
This boy wasn’t the Levi he had fallen in love with, he couldn’t be. This was some immature boy who wanted to look cool in front of his friends. How had Eren been so wrong about him? How had Levi fooled him so perfectly?
“You're a fake and a phony, and I wish I never laid eyes on you,” Eren said angrily, trying his best to keep the tears from falling but with no luck as they streamed down his face.
He didn’t wait for a response, only stared into Levi’s eyes for a hesitant moment before turning on his heel and taking off in the other direction with Armin and the girls following soon after.
He could hear the other boys laughing at him, probably talking about how stupid he was to fall for Levi like that. How could he blame them? He was a fool. Just a dumb, naïve boy who fell in love with someone he shouldn’t have.
Though the worst part of it all, he thought as he cried against the door of Armin’s car, waiting for the others to catch up to him; was that even though Levi had proved not to be the wonderful boy Eren had thought him to be... he couldn’t stop his heart from loving him.