Behind The Curtain (EREN X LEVI FANFICTION)

Chapter 14: Troubled

No, the stare he's receiving today is drastically different and he could almost assume it's for the same reason he's receiving all that pity from others.

Just another problem to add to the pot, and Levi would be stupid to stir it any more than it already was. The desire to approach the disgruntled guard dog of Eren's pushes against him like a truck, a compulsion so strong it's a miracle he was able to ignore it.  

But the same thing happens the next day. 

More stares of sorrow, some hushed whispers where he most certainly heard his name come up in conversation but for the life of him he couldn't gauge the topic of interest. Had some students found out about the incident taking place last year? Impossible. No one knows besides Mikasa, Eren and his two best friends, Isabel and Farlan. 

His friends are out of the question because Levi would literally murder them if they misspoke. They know better than to blab about Levi's personal life, hence the reason he trusted them with the retelling of horrid events. 

Mikasa is also hurting from the loss of her aunt. She would much rather continue pinning the incident on him silently than cause a ruckus with the entire school. Which leaves only Eren. 

But he wouldn't do that... right?

Yet he refuses to make eye contact with Levi, has barely messaged him for rehearsal practices nor has he inquired about future tutoring sessions. Strange doesn't even begin to cover it.

The day flies by and he hasn't heard from any of his friends or even spoken to his favourite brunet student. It cuts more than it should. He's used to being alone, yet he becomes so used to company he realises how isolating it can be when the only people he can put his trust in have suddenly abandoned him leaving him clueless. Isabel and Farlan are a no-show, and all Levi wants to do is approach Eren and talk to him about whatever new rumours have suddenly risen. 

Eren left their class immediately as soon as maths was over and Levi never even got a chance to say hi.

Something is terribly wrong. The sickening churn in his stomach is an answer enough that the world is turning against him. He just wishes he knew why.

That is how Levi found himself unexpectedly sitting at the grand piano during his music class. His eyes stare blankly at the polished instrument, admiring its beauty as always when he approaches its sleek cover. It's been some time since he's attempted a re-visit, but something told him today was the day. 

Too much has been circulating in his mind. A wheel that has fallen off the wagon and no matter how fast he runs he can't retrieve it. It keeps rolling away just outside his grasp and he's left tired at the idea of running after it again. Just when Levi thought he had finally made progress in re-attaching it to his moving cart, suddenly another bump in the road shakes the wagon off course and once again he is in the dirt, running once more to find the missing piece in this gigantic puzzle. No one will tell him anything. He can't get a hold of any of his friends to further investigate these sudden changes and he absolutely hates being left in the dirt.

So, he has turned to the one person he could always rely on. The one woman in his heart he feels would be able to find reason in this unforgiving world. Only she would be able to find hope in a land so bleak and dying from the rotten core within. 

His mother. 

She always had a gift for seeing the best in people, and she unlike anyone else, would always find a way to make Levi feel grateful for all that he's been given. The last time he properly smiled was on a sunny afternoon alone with her, the two of them sitting before an instrument exactly like this one in front of Levi now.