Eren couldn't stop staring at Levi.

It was one of those times when he was desperately trying to read what he was feeling since he was such an apathetic and emotionless person most of the time. Eren was mad at this bastard of a man for stealing his first kiss; it was nothing like he expected and he would have appreciated if his first kiss had his consent.

He had to admit he was very good looking and was very intelligent, probably rich too since his house looked so sharp and that would make any girl feel (or maybe even guy if he swung that way) giddy but Eren couldn't understand why anyone would like Mr. Ackerman in general. He seemed like a very cocky person telling by the way he held his head higher than Eren's math grade and he was a little rude too.

"Do you like what you see, Jaeger?" the piano player asked with a ghost of a smile on his lips. He wasn't even looking up and yet he caught Eren staring at him like hawk.

"Not at all, really, considering the strong amount of hate I have for you. You told me to write a depressing song so I'm staring at your face for inspiration," Eren replied curtly.

"Ouch," Levi said, trying his best to sound offended and even frowned but the corners of his lips perked up a bit as if he were trying to fend off a small grin. "You got bark but no bite? Interesting."

"Are you asking me to fight you?" Eren scoffed.

"The only battles I do are here," he purred and seductively bit his bottom lip as he pointed to it lazily. "The one earlier proved that I had won."

Eren scowled at him while trying to keep his composure. One second this guy was acting like a fucking robot then the next he acts like a total asshole who would make anyone sexually confused. The younger male rolled his eyes and went back to staring at his paper filled with letters and notes.

"You caught me off guard, Mr. Ackerman," Eren said and crossed his arms. "That's fighting dirty."

"What do you think would happen if I did kiss you with consent? Who do you think would win?" he asked, cocking his head to the side and briefly licking his lips to moisten them.

"No one because I will assure you that it won't happen ever again," Eren snapped.

"You're no fun," the older male said and frowned sincerely. "Whatever. Stop staring at me and just try to finish the song."

Eren rolled his eyes once more and did as he was told. The sarcastic comment he gave Levi was only half true and he couldn't really think of anything no matter what he did. He listened to sad song or songs that had very powerful lyrics like Sarcasm by Get Scared or Gooey by Glass Animals. Both the songs didn't sound exactly sad but it was the lyrics that caught his attention.

Hold my hand, flow back to the Summer time...

and

Don't mind us, we're just spilling our guts. If this is love I don't want to be loved...

were definitely lyrics from the two songs that got stuck in his head like superglue. He wanted a slow song but he wanted a violent and fast one too. He couldn't really explain what he wanted because since he was born, he wanted things that were out of reach. He wanted to seriously just write a loud heavy metal song but he knew that he couldn't that due to the fact that Levi's stupid piano playing was supposed to be apart of this.

"Mr. Ackerman, I have to go home," Eren said with his voice cracking. He was mad and frustrated with himself and he's never felt this stupid and hopeless in his entire life. If only the piano wasn't apart of this, it would make things one hundred percent easier, or maybe even more than that.

"You've been here for only thirty minutes," he snapped as a reply. "You didn't even write anything new and now I'm starting to think that you refuse to do any work at all."

"I...I just don't feel into it right now," Eren whispered frantically as he got up and tried to make a mad dash to the door. He grabbed his bag and tripped over his own feet but was suddenly pinned to the wall when he felt hands wrap around his wrists in a lock.

"I have to go," Eren pleaded. He desperately wanted some space to be alone and think of everything. He wanted to be alone because he wanted to be alone with his thoughts and hopefully an idea for more lyrics would whisper inside his brain.

"You don't need to but you want to," Levi sighed. "Are you feeling okay? I have some tylenol if you need it." He then gently patted Eren's forehead with his, trying to feel if Eren was burning up.

"Let go of me. I'm fine," he answered sharply.

"You look mad, Jaeger."

"I am mad and I want to go home."

"I don't understand you teenagers with your sudden hormones," Levi said with a click of his tongue. "If you act like that I don't think we'll ever finish in time."

Eren opened his mouth to reply with a biting remark but shut his mouth when he realized that he did have a point. The reason why they had nothing done was because it was his fault and he blamed himself for that.

"I can't think of anything," Eren admitted and groaned. "I'm stupid."

"You're a fucking music prodigy, why the hell would you call yourself stupid?" Levi said with a roll of his eyes.

"The way you're writing the piano part isn't matching the way I want to write my part. Yours is too graceful and mine is as messy as my future."

"You're so emotional," Levi chuckled coldly. "You should play then."

"Play what?"

"The piano, dumbfuck."

"I told you already that I'm not gonna play the damn piano. I thought you would have understood that by now," Eren told him with an irritated voice.

"You played in the music room not so long ago so it's most likely possible to do it again. I don't care about some the stupid grudge you have against it just because I beat you. It doesn't matter anymore because it was in the past."

He was correct; Levi's reasoning really made Eren rethink a few things.

"I want you to show me how you would play the song so I can understand and I could modify the song a little," he explained and grabbed the taller boy's chin so that he could look him straight in the  eyes. "I want to hear you play."

"You're using a logical reason just so you could force me into playing it again?"

"Why yes I am. Any objections?"

Eren couldn't really argue now since he said the fact that he was beaten didn't really matter anymore because he was right. This man always seemed to be right in any situation.

"You're making me feel stupid now that you say that competition doesn't matter anymore," Eren grumbled.

"You're not stupid, you're just a coward and I hate people like that and I do not wish to hate you, Jaeger."

"If I play just don't laugh at me, okay?" Eren said and smacked Levi's hand away.

"Sure, kid."

---

Eren's hands were trembling as he sat down on the piano chair. His body was not reacting like this when he played a little earlier because no one was watching but now was different because Levi was going to watch him which was absolutely terrifying because that man watched like a hawk. The short man wasn't smiling but he looked amused and his eyebrows perked up as if to tell him to start playing.

"Is it really necessary for you to watch me? Could you just turn around or something?"

"I have to watch to make sure your fingers are in perfect posture. You don't have to play anything big if it really bothers you, just give me a sample," Levi told him and approached him.

"I can't think of a song on the top of my head!" Eren exclaimed with frustration.

"No kidding. Just play how you feel, that could be pretty simple since you are such an expressive kind of person," Levi said.

"Fine."

The pads of Eren's fingertips barely brushed the keys and he jerked them away as if it shocked him. Levi rolled his eyes and let out a very loud sigh as he shoved Eren a bit to the side and sat down with him.

"You're so stiff," Levi complained. "No need to be so nervous around me."

With hesitation, the shorted male grabbed one of Eren's hands and intertwined his hand with his, giving it a good squeeze a few times as well.

"Your hand is so cold," Levi said. "No wonder."

He continued to do so, warming up the hand and then doing the same to the other. Eren was glaring at him angrily but his face was also heating up, he watched Levi's delicate, long finger wrap around his and wondered how those were the exact same hands that played many scores and melodies.

"Could you stop that?" Eren whispered frantically.

"Stop what?" Levi asked as he brought the two hands near his mouth and began to slowly blow warm air on them.

"What you're doing. Please stop that right now," Eren demanded and shot a piercing stare at him.

"If you don't like it, you could always just pull your hand away, right?" he teased as a reply.

"Yeah w-well I-"

"You're lying to yourself again, Jaeger. I have to admit that I'm flattered that you like it when I hold your hand but I don't swing that way," he cut him off.

"You really are a pain," Eren snapped and jerked his hands away.

Without any more hesitation, he let his hands glide against the piano with the dynamic FF which made Levi nearly jump from the seat. He seemed to be playing something that sounded quite similar to a scale but it had many more notes and was way too loud. It was probably the intro because he then started playing a melody that was played with quiet dynamics that would occasionally rise to a higher volume. Eren's eyes were closed most of the time and the shorter male was astonished; how was he playing this without knowing where his fingers were going?

His head nodded and his feet tapped to the beat as he grit his teeth. Levi was very impressed and taken aback. This boy had definitely improved, he thought,

He noticed how his added a lot of crescendos here and there and grinned; he sure was giving his all.

"You can stop now," Levi said. "You look like you're going to break my piano if you continue playing like that."

Eren stopped abruptly and opened his eyes as he apologized "Sorry."

"Your idea is very different and complex compared to mine," Levi sighed. "I'll see what I can do but I'm very glad to have seen you play again, Jaeger."

"Whatever."

"Now your mind may rest at ease. You won't hold a grudge against me now, right? I don't like it when people resent me."

"Don't push your luck, Mr. Ackerman."

---

AN:

boring chapter i know im so sorry

i was busy watching my animoo

ANIREVO IS IN TEN DAYS AND IM SO EXCITED

IS ANYONE GOING BC IF YOU ARE HMU BC I WANT TO MEET YOU HUMANS

dont forget to vote and comment if you enjoyed! thank you so much for reading!

~Your Friend Takeshi